


how do i wrap my heart up for christmas?

by breezered



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Make the Yuletide Gay, Wayhaught - Freeform, gift wrapping booth au, warning for an obscene amount of canadian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-13 14:41:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12986232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breezered/pseuds/breezered
Summary: “Do you do this a lot?” Waverly asks, cocking her eyebrow.“Do what?” Nicole asks with a small laugh.“Sweep in like some knight on a white horse with your fancy police badge and rescue girls from rude customers,” Waverly says.





	1. it's the most wonderful time of the year

**Author's Note:**

> Because it wouldn't be December without a cheesy Christmas fic. Make the Yuletide gay and all that. This is going to be fun, lighthearted, and snowy! Enjoy, and happy holidays to you all :)

The first time Waverly sees her, it’s fleeting. She’s one of a hundred faces that Waverly sees during the day, and she lingers behind her friend, staring dow at her phone. Waverly wraps the gift (a cap gun set) while she hums to the Christmas song that’s playing over the mall’s speakers. She exchanges pleasantries with the guy who’s getting the gift wrapped, learning its a gag gift for a friend. It’s an easy wrap, a rectangular box, and Waverly has it done in under two minutes with a smile and a “happy holidays!” as the guy takes it from her gratefully. 

His friend looks up and offers Waverly a smile, dimples and big brown eyes. Then she’s gone, fading into the crowd of holiday shoppers. The next customer in line has to wave their hand in front of Waverly’s face to get her attention. 

It’s only three days later when Waverly sees her again. She walks up to the gift wrapping stand with a confident swagger in her hips, and Waverly has to dig her nails into her palm to remind herself that staring is impolite. 

“Hey,” the girl says, her dimpled smile framed by vibrant copper hair, cut just below her chin.

“Hi,” Waverly says, “do you, um, need something wrapped?” 

“Something wrapped,” the girl repeats, her eyebrows pulling together briefly before realization dawns on her face. “Oh! Because this is a gift-wrapping booth. Right.” She laughs awkwardly and Waverly thinks she’s kind of adorable. 

“Yeah, we wrap things,” Waverly says with a little shrug and a smile. 

“Because this is a gift-wrapping booth,” the girls says, rubbing the back of her neck, “so I should probably have brought something to wrap.” She blushes a pretty shade of pink and Waverly hides an amused smile behind her hand. The girl sighs and rakes her hair back. “Will you still be here in ten minutes?” 

Waverly points at the sign above her head. “Open nine to five, all day, every day during the holiday season.” 

“Of course, there’s a sign,” the girls sighs. “Well, I’m going to go get a gift, then. To wrap. Because I think the lady behind me is going to kill me if I stand in the way of her getting that tea set wrapped any longer.” The girl turns away and heads off into the mall, throwing Waverly another smile over her shoulder as she retreats. 

She takes a steadying breath and smiles at the next customer. “Hi, how can I help you?” 

The woman slams down the tea set and frowns until Waverly starts wrapping. 

“I want the red paper,” the woman says. 

Waverly looks down at the patterned striped paper she’s just cut to fit the tea set. “Sure, no problem!” She puts on her cheeriest smile and pulls out the roll of red wrapping paper. 

“Not that one, the other red one,” the woman says. Waverly nods again, her smile stuck in place. She grabs the roll of red wrapping paper with little snowmen on it. 

“This one?” Waverly asks. 

The woman looks it up and down, eventually sighing. “That’ll have to do, I suppose.” 

“Great,” Waverly says. She clears the station and gets to work, creasing corners and folding edges. 

“And the green ribbon,” the woman says as Waverly puts the last piece of tape on. 

Having learned her lesson, Waverly digs up all four rolls of green ribbon that they have. “Which green ribbon would you like, ma’am?” 

The woman looks at all of them for what feels like hours. “Maybe green isn’t the right colour,” the woman says, and Waverly’s jaw ticks. “Do you have anything with glitter?” 

“Glitter,” Waverly repeats. 

“Yes, glitter, are you deaf?” The woman snaps. 

Waverly swallows and shakes her head. “No, ma’am, not deaf, just want to make sure I got it right,” she says. 

“It has just been one thing after another,” the woman sighs, “honestly, the service here has been disastrous. I’ll be writing to the mall about this.” 

“Is there a problem here?” 

Waverly looks up from where she’s searching in the box of ribbon. It’s the red-haired girl, her face set sternly and a plastic bag dangling from her crossed arms. 

“Excuse me? Who the hell are you?” The rude woman says, affronted. 

Waverly watches as the red hair girl pulls out a police badge from her back pocket. “Officer Nicole Haught, ma’am. I repeat, is there a problem here?” 

The woman blanches and shakes her head. “No, officer, no problem. Just complimenting this girl on a job well done.” She slaps down a twenty and grabs her gift, walking away quickly. 

“You didn’t have to do that,” Waverly says, putting a hand on her hip. 

Nicole Haught shrugs and offers her an easy smile. “It’s no problem. People can be real assholes during the holiday season, and you don’t deserve to have it taken out on you.” 

“Do you do this a lot?” Waverly asks, cocking her eyebrow. 

“Do what?” Nicole asks with a small laugh.

“Sweep in like some knight on a white horse with your fancy police badge and rescue girls from rude customers,” Waverly says. 

Nicole laughs and shakes her head. “Only the really pretty ones.” She winks at Waverly and then lifts up the plastic bag. “Could I get something wrapped?"

“Sure,” Waverly says, eyeing Nicole cautiously. “What colour paper? Apparently that really makes or breaks a gift.” 

“Which one is your favourite?” Nicole asks. 

“What?”

“Your favourite paper,” Nicole says, “which one is it?”

Waverly blinks dumbly. “Um, I guess the one with the reindeer,” she says, holding up the roll. 

“The one with the reindeer it is,” Nicole says. “Hey, which gift do you think says ‘I think you’re really cute and I’d like to take you on a date sometime’?” She digs through the bag and holds up a purple toque with a pompom on it in one hand, and a soft-looking scarf in the other. 

Waverly feels a little ball of disappointment lodge itself in her throat. “I think the scarf,” she says, “not everyone wears hats. But I think most people like scarves.” 

“Scarf it is,” Nicole says with a smile. Waverly nods and takes the scarf, folding it neatly and putting it in a box. It’s routine and easy from there, folding corners and straightening edges. 

“Would you like a ribbon as well?” Waverly asks. 

“Do you think a ribbon would help my chances?” Nicole asks, leaning forward on the edge of the booth’s counter. 

“I, uh, I don’t think it’ll hurt them,” Waverly says with a forced casual chuckle. “White would look best I think.”

“Whatever you say,” Nicole says. 

“Oh, god, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have just assumed you’d want my opinion,” Waverly moans, shaking her head. “You should choose, it’s your gift after all.” 

Nicole puts her hand over Waverly’s and smiles, everything about her gentle and soft. “Hey,” she says, “white sounds great. I’m pretty useless with this stuff, so all the help I can get is totally appreciated.” 

“Right,” Waverly breathes, and then they’re both pulling their hands back. Waverly quickly attaches the ribbon, tying a neat bow on top. 

“Do you have cards or anything for sale here, by chance?” Nicole asks. 

“Yes, I do,” Waverly says, pulling out a box of Christmas cards.

Nicole pulls a crumpled twenty out of her pocket, followed by a ten. “Is this enough?” 

“What?” Waverly asks, dragging her eyes up from where they’d locked onto Nicole’s pretty bowed lips. 

“For the wrapping and the card,” Nicole reminds her. 

“Oh, yes, that’s more than enough,” Waverly says, “let me grab you change.” 

Nicole waves her off. “Keep it. You’ve really helped me out, uh,” she trails off and Waverly’s eyebrows shoot up when she realizes Nicole is waiting for her name. 

“Waverly,” she fills in. 

“You’ve really helped me out, Waverly,” Nicole says. “Is it okay if I just fill this out right now?” 

There aren’t anymore customers in line, so Waverly nods. It’s nearing five o’clock anyways, so she starts cleaning up. Wrapping paper rolls get stored away, the ribbon is reorganized and tucked back into its box. She bends down to grab the keys to lock up the cupboard, and when she stands back up, Nicole is gone. 

“Fudge nuggets,” Waverly mumbles, and she sees the gift she just wrapped sitting pretty on the counter. She cranes her neck to see if she can see Nicole in the vicinity, but there’s no sign of her bright hair or tall frame. “I guess I’ll just lock this up tonight and hope she comes back for it,” Waverly says to herself, grabbing the gift. She’s about to try and squeeze it into the cupboard when the name on the card catches her eye. 

Mostly because it’s her own name. 

“What the what,” Waverly mutters. She reads her own name until it stops even looking like a word and turns into a series of uninformed lines on an off-white envelope. She picks up said envelope and flips it over. 

_Don’t open this until Christmas Day. Santa will know if you don’t listen, and I’ve heard he’s a bit of a hard-ass when it comes to those rules._

Waverly smiles, biting her bottom lip. “Nicole Haught,” she says with a sigh. “Of course.” 

***

Christmas Day comes with an expected amount of chaos. Wynonna whirled into town the night before, all leather and whiskey with a moustachioed cowboy in tow. Gus had acted all grumpy about adding two more mouths to feed at Christmas dinner, but Waverly could tell she was just glad to know Wynonna hadn’t gotten herself killed yet. They had sat around the wood stove and listened to Wynonna and John Henry tell them about their adventures: riding with the Banditos, a west coast bounty hunt, and a surprisingly competitive game of laser tag. Waverly listened, totally enraptured with every word that came out of Wynonna’s mouth. 

Morning comes the way it does every year. Waverly wakes up first, pulling on an old sweater with a snowman on the front, along with her warmest leggings and fuzziest socks. She gets downstairs before anyone else and starts on breakfast - a french toast bake that had been sitting over night. Gus comes down fifteen minutes later in her housecoat, making a pot of coffee. 

“You’ll have to wake that lazy sister of yours,” Gus tells Waverly. “It’s been a few years since she’s had to think of anyone but herself.” 

Waverly rolls her eyes at Gus’s grumpy attitude. “Can we hold off on the snarky comments on Christmas, please?” Gus snorts into her coffee, and Waverly whisks by her and back up the stairs to wake Wynonna. She lifts her fist to knock on the door, but it swings open before she can knock. 

“Good mornin’, darlin’,” John Henry greets. “Wynonna will be right out.” He steps around Waverly, rolling a cigarette between his fingers. Waverly peeks into the room and _how can anyone make this much of a mess in one night_. Clothes are strewn everywhere, like someone stuck a bomb in Wynonna’s suitcase and it went off as soon as she got in. 

“Wynonna, are you getting up?” Waverly asks the lump under the duvet. A hand pokes out and holds up a thumb. Waverly rolls her eyes. “If you’re up in five minutes, I’ll throw some bacon on the stove.” 

Wynonna’s head pops up. “Is it maple smoked?” 

“Probably, Gus always buys maple smoked,” Waverly says. 

“I’m up,” Wynonna says with a loud groan. She starts to rise then drops back down to the bed. “I’m naked, actually.”

“Ew,” Waverly jokes, stepping out of the room and shutting the door. 

Bacon is put on and Wynonna is downstairs in record time. The four of them eat, pleasant conversation floating through the air between mouthfuls. John Henry offers to do the dishes, and Waverly can almost see the ‘How much Gus respects me’ meter above his head fill up. 

The routine has been the same since Wynonna and Waverly were kids. Stockings are opened first, and Waverly smiles when she realizes Gus must have gotten everything for Wynonna in advance. In fact, the size of the haul implies that Gus might have been building this pile for a few years. 

Next, they establish an order to opening presents. It always used to be that the youngest started, because young Waverly was a very demanding little girl at times. Not that adult Waverly isn’t, but she likes to think she’s matured enough to handle waiting a few minutes to rip into her presents. 

Gus goes first, a new pair of field boots from Waverly. Wynonna gets a pair of gloves from Gus. Waverly opens a package from Wynonna, shoddily wrapped in newspaper. It’s a book titled “Tales of the Old West”. Waverly thinks she might already have a copy, but Wynonna looks so nervous about it, and it’s actually something Waverly likes. Wynonna must have actually put thought into it, so Waverly reaches over and hugs her sister tightly, whispering a “thank you” into her ear. 

They open gifts for a while, until it’s down to the last package. 

A package Waverly had totally forgotten about over the course of the week and the excitement of Wynonna. She opens the card first, nerves being no excuse for forgetting her manners. 

It’s the generic card she sells at the booth, a winter scene painted on the front. The inside says ‘Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël!’ in fancy printed script. There’s some messy handwriting too, and Waverly feels her heartbeat pick up as she reads it. 

_Merry Christmas, Waverly :) I hope this isn’t too forward of me, but I think you’re really cute and I’d like to take you out. On a date. If you’d like that. I wanted to ask you out the first time I saw you, actually, but you wrapped X’s gift so quickly that I didn’t have any time to think of something to say other than “beautiful” and “date me please”._

Waverly feels herself blushing furiously, and she clears her throat, wondering when it became so dry. 

_Anyways, I’m sorry you already know what the gift is, but it’s hard to buy presents for a girl you hardly know. But I want to get to know you, if you want to get to know me._

There’s a phone number scribble along the bottom of the card, under Nicole’s name and a messy ‘xox’. 

Waverly’s heart is kicking her ribs, nerves or excitement making her grin like a bit of a fool. 

“Who’s that from, baby girl?” Wynonna asks, and Waverly snaps the card shut quickly. 

“Um, a friend from work,” Waverly says. She tucks the card back inside the envelope and starts ripping through her own wrapping job. She knows what’ll be inside, but it still makes her smile at the memory of Nicole leaning against her booth with a cheeky grin. 

“That’s an awfully nice scarf,” John Henry says, and Wynonna nods her agreement. 

“It’s perfect,” Waverly mumbles. 

“I mean, it’s a scarf,” Wynonna says. Waverly kicks her playfully. 

“Alright, let’s get this mess cleaned up,” Gus says, “and we’re leaving at one to go help Shorty with dinner.” 

After cleaning up and taking a shower, Waverly lies on her bed in her towel, staring at the new contact she’d just added into her phone. 

“It’s just a text, Waverly,” she says to herself, “you’ve literally sent millions of texts in your life.” 

_Hi Nicole!_

“Too peppy,” she says, erasing it. 

_Merry Christmas Nicole :)_

“Okay, not too bad.”

_Merry Christmas Nicole :) it’s Waverly. Thank you for the scarf._

“Ew.”

_Merry Christmas Nicole :) I love the scarf._

_Merry Christmas Nicole :) I really like the scarf. Please date me._

_Merry Christmas Nicole :) I really like the scarf, how did you know I’d like it? ;)_

Flirty, but not too flirty. Just dumb. Waverly groans and puts her phone down without hitting send. 

“That doesn’t sound like a fun Christmas noise,” Wynonna tuts from the doorway. Waverly sits up and sticks her tongue out at her sister. Wynonna comes in and flops down beside her. “What’s got you all knotted up?” 

Waverly worries her bottom lip between her teeth. “There’s this…girl,” she says, and Wynonna perks up. 

“Did you bang?” 

“What?!” Waverly ignores how a very quick image of Nicole on top of her pops into her head. Well, she tries to, but she knows her face has already flushed a deep red. “No! I-I’m trying to send her a text. She wrote a really cute Christmas card, and she was so smooth in person, and I have no idea what I’m doing.” 

“Is it the vagina thing?” Wynonna asks. “Because, listen, I’ve been there, and it’s wet. And very warm. Kind of like Florida, actually.” Wynonna shudders. 

“It’s not the vagina thing, please stop talking,” Waverly says, clapping a hand over Wynonna’s mouth before she can keep talking. Something wet touches her palm and Waverly grimaces, pulling her hand back. “Aren’t we a little old to be _licking_ each other’s hands?” She wipes her palm on her towel. 

Wynona ignores her, grabbing her phone and rolling away before Waverly can grab it back. She types furiously, Waverly trying to keep her towel from falling down and trying to stop Wynonna before she can do irreparable damage. 

Then she hears the sound of a message being sent off. 

Wynonna cackles and tosses the phone back on Waverly’s bed. “Get dressed, loser, it’s almost one and Gus doesn’t seem to be in a fun mood. She tried to hit me with a yam.” 

The door slams shut behind her and Waverly grabs her phone. “No, no, no, no, no,” she says to herself, unlocking it and opening the message Wynonna just sent to Nicole. 

**Waverly [12:34]** _Merry Christmas Nicole :) I’m a huge loser who can’t send a text because I want to sit on your face._

“I’m going to kill her,” Waverly growls. 

**Waverly [12:36]** _Omg, I am so sorry, my sister got a hold of my phone. Please just ignore her, I know I’m going to after I murder her for Christmas._

Satisfied but still fuming, Waverly gets dressed. A silver top and a snowflake printed skirt, sparkly tights and the snowman earrings Gus got her for Christmas last year. 

She’s heading out to the truck when she feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. Her heart punches her chest and she almost drops the sack of potatoes she’s carrying. She dumps them in the back of the truck and quickly pulls out her phone, her hands shaking with nerves so badly that she almost drops it. 

**Nicole [12:57]** _haha will do :) try not to get caught, it’ll be a lot harder to take you out if you’re stuck in prison somewhere. merry xmas, btw :)_

“Alright, don’t overthink it, Earp,” Waverly mumbles. 

**Waverly [12:58]** _Don’t worry, I’m very sneaky ;) so when are you going to take me out? I like to know what I’m doing at least two or three days in advance…_

**Nicole [12:58]** _so tomorrow would be too soon?_

**Waverly [12:59]** _I can make an exception, if i must.. ;P_

**Nicole [13:00]** _i’m honoured ;) how about i pick you up tomorrow around 2?_

She wipes the falling snow off the screen of her phone.

**Waverly [13:01]** _you don’t even know where I live!_

**Nicole [13:02]** _if you’re comfortable with it, text me your address. i’ve been told i’m pretty trustworthy, as far as law enforcement officers go. don’t worry about if you live far, i really don’t mind driving to get you :)_

“Waverly, get off your phone and help your sister load the truck,” Gus says. Waverly looks up from her phone and pouts.

“Just one minute, Gus,” she pleads, “I’m almost done, I swear, just a minute.” 

Gus rolls her eyes but walks away. 

**Waverly [13:04]** _Fine, but for the record I think you’re trying a little too hard here, officer :P_

**Nicole [13:05]** _you haven’t seen anything yet ;)_

_***_

 


	2. let it snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole gets snow in her pants. Waverly handles everything with ten kilograms of anxiety. Everyone's pretty fucking gay.

Waverly makes sure Wynonna is distracted around 2 o’clock on Boxing Day. She sets her up in front of _House Hunters International_ with a bottle of Canadian Club and leaves a stack of magazines about guns and shirtless men on the coffee table. Wynonna won’t be going anywhere for at least two hours. 

Which is good, because when a knock comes on the door, Waverly’s palms immediately start sweating. She straightens out the criss-crossed fabric on the top of her shirt and checks that her long sheer cardigan is settled on her shoulders at exactly the same spot on either side. It’s a known fact that symmetry makes you more attractive. 

She steps up to the door, smooths her hair out one more time and takes a deep breath. She pulls the door open and something inside her chest swells at the sight before her. 

Because Nicole is standing in front of her with an easy smile and a cute beanie pulled over her ears. Her black jacket is half-zipped, and that is a totally irrelevant detail that Waverly focuses one for no apparent reason. 

“Hi,” Waverly says. 

“Hey,” Nicole answers, her dimples deepening. “You look really pretty.” 

Waverly blushes. “Thanks.” They stand there for a beat, just staring at each other. Waverly’s eyes widen. “Oh, shoot, you look pretty, too!” She presses her hand to her forehead. “I’m sorry. I’m a little nervous.”

Nicole laughs and puts her hand on Waverly’s arm. “Don’t worry about it,” she says, “I’m nervous too. First dates are always nerve-wracking.” 

Waverly opens her mouth to reply, but is cut off by Gus yelling from the kitchen. “Waverly Earp, shut the door! I’m not heating the whole damn world!” 

“I’ll just grab my coat,” Waverly says, holding up a finger. Nicole nods and shoves her hands in her jacket pockets. Waverly pulls on her coat and boots, hesitating whens she sees the blue scarf that was hanging under her coat. It’s only one second of indecision, and then she grabs the scarf and wraps it loosely around her neck. 

“Ready?” Nicole asks, and Waverly nods, stepping out the door and shutting it behind her. 

Snow is falling lightly, and Waverly looks up at the grey sky. “I hope it the weather holds out,” she says. 

“I’ve got my snows on,” Nicole says, and she leads Waverly to her car. It’s a well-loved Subaru, and Waverly can hear Wynonna making five different lesbian jokes in her head. Nicole opens the passenger side door for Waverly and then walks around the front of the car, pulling off her jacket before getting into the car. The engine sputters a little before coming to life, and warm air blasts out of the vents. Nicole rushes to turn the heat down to a more human level, and she throws the car into reverse. 

“So, where are you taking me?” Waverly asks.

Nicole turns onto the road and puts the car in drive. “Well, I thought we’d do something fun,” she says, “something wintery.” 

“Something wintery,” Waverly repeats with a little trepidation. Nicole hums an affirmation, and she hands Waverly her cell phone. 

“Here, put on some music,” she says, “passcode is 5263.” Waverly opens the phone and pulls up Nicole’s music.

“I didn’t realize that ‘modern viking’ was a genre of music,” Waverly teases when she sees the open playlist. 

Nicole blushes and shrugs. “It’s very empowering,” she defends. 

“I’m sure.” Waverly keeps scrolling through Nicole’s music and smiles when she sees something she recognizes. “Fleetwood Mac,” she says, “I think we’re going to get along.” She presses play and lets the Rumours album trickle out from the speakers. 

“So what do you do when you aren’t working at the wrapping booth?” Nicole asks. 

“I’m a student,” Waverly says, “in Calgary. Well, mostly by correspondence. And I work at a bar in Purgatory.” 

“That’s the little town out here, right?” 

“Yeah,” Waverly says, “born and raised there. Can’t seem to escape.” She adds a chuckle to the end of that sentence, but Waverly is pretty sure any idiot with ears would be able to tell she’s only about fifty-percent joking. 

Nicole must be able to sense the shift in tension, because she changes the subject. “So what are you studying?” 

“Well, I’m just finishing up my MA in History, concentration in Western Canadian and American history,” Waverly says. “I’m writing a dissertation on the role of women in wild west society.”

“That sounds really cool,” Nicole says, and Waverly grins.   


“I think it is,” she says with a little shrug. 

“That’s what matters, right?” Nicole looks over at her briefly and smiles. Waverly’s breath feels knocked out of her chest, so she just nods with a bit of a stricken smile. 

They sit in a comfortable silence, both listening to the music. The snow is starting to fall a little heavier now, coming down in thick flakes at a slow and steady pace. Waverly watches the fields pass by, the mountains looming in the distance. 

“It must have been so cool, growing up near the mountains like this,” Nicole says, almost wistful. 

“I think it’s one of those things that you just take for granted when you’re a kid,” Waverly replies, “I don’t think I ever spent any time appreciating the view until I was older.” 

“As soon as I moved out here, I was totally blown away,” Nicole says. “I grew up in Ontario, so I was so used to forests and lakes. Out here it’s stark, but…beautiful.” 

“Where in Ontario are you from?” Waverly asks. 

“Um, Sault Ste Marie,” Nicole says. “It’s in Northern Ontario, on Lake Superior. It’s nice, but I needed a change.” 

“I get it,” Waverly says, and part of her wants to break the invisible barrier and put her hand on Nicole’s knee, but she’s driving and this is a first date. So instead she clasps her hands together in her lap, her thumbs twitching. “So, why did you want to become a cop?” 

“Very original material,” Nicole says, her lips quirking up into a teasing smile. 

“Hey,” Waverly defends, “this is a first date. I’m allowed to use all my bad questions today.”

“So you’re saying there’s a possibility of a second date?” Nicole says, signalling to make a right turn. 

Waverly shrugs. “Maybe. I’m still waiting to be impressed.” Nicole laughs at that, and it’s a little too loud, and Waverly really likes it. 

“Well, okay then,” Nicole says, “I wanted to be a _police office_ ,” she give Waverly a stern look, her eyes totally betraying any seriousness, “not a _cop_ , because my favourite movie is, and has always been… _Hot Fuzz_.” 

“ _Hot Fuzz_?” Waverly repeats.

“Yeah, with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost,” Nicole continues, “y’know, it’s the classic buddy cop movie: big city officer moves to a small town and gets paired up with a goofy partner?” Waverly shakes her head. Nicole gasps. “You haven’t seen _Hot Fuzz_?” 

“Nope,” Waverly says, popping the ‘P’. “Deal breaker?” She asks, and Nicole pretends to think it over. 

“I’m going to choose to see this as an opportunity for education.” 

“Very noble of you.”

“Well, Waverly, I’m an officer of the law. Nobility is kind of my thing.” 

“I thought doughnuts were your thing.” 

Nicole claps a hand over her heart and gives Waverly a (probably well-rehearsed) look of total offence. “You wound me. You really do.” 

Waverly rolls her eyes, but her smile is wide and permanent. “Life is tough.” 

“And to think, here I thought we were really getting along,” Nicole laughs. Waverly clicks her tongue at her, and Nicole grins. “I like you, Waverly.” 

Waverly tries to tamp down the heat in her cheeks, knowing she’s going full tomato. “You hardly know me.” 

“So?” Nicole says with an easy shrug. She turns off the road and into a clearing with a few other cars in it. She puts the car in park and looks at Waverly, holding eye contact for the first time since they started driving. 

“So…so it’s a little early to know you like me,” Waverly says, fidgeting under the weight of Nicole’s eyes. 

“I know what I like,” Nicole says, “always have. And I like you.”

Waverly unbuckles her seatbelt and adjusts her scarf. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re a little forward, Nicole?” 

Nicole smiles, ear to ear. It makes Waverly’s chest ache because, _damn it_ , she really wants to kiss that smile. She doesn’t, though, because Waverly Earp doesn’t just jump into things. That’s Wynonna territory. And god knows she doesn’t want to get into Wynonna territory. 

“Once or twice, yeah,” Nicole answers. “Come on, let’s get going. We need to get a move on before it gets dark.” 

“What?” Waverly asks, but Nicole is already shutting her door behind her. Waverly huffs, but follows suit, shoving her hands into her coat pockets against the cold air. Snow settles on her head and shoulders almost immediately, and when she meets up with Nicole at the trunk, she can see the snowflakes that linger on Nicole’s long eyelashes. 

“Here,” Nicole says, holding out a pair of snow pants. Waverly takes them and frowns. 

“Why are you handing me snow pants?” 

Nicole grabs a few more things from the trunk. One of them being a wooden toboggan. “Well, it’s going to be pretty shitty on the drive home if your pants are all wet,” she explains. “Come on, hurry up. It’s not safe to toboggan in the dark, you know.” 

Waverly sighs, but she puts on hand on the car for support. One boot is kicked off, and that leg is jammed into the snow pants. Once the leg of the pants is pulled on, the boot goes back on. Lather, rinse, repeat to the other leg. The pants are way too big, bunching around Waverly’s ankles. Nicole stifles a laugh behind her hand. 

“Sorry,” she says, waving away her laughter until her face is serious, “I’m sorry. I didn’t have any small pants lying around, and I didn’t realize how much shor- taller I am.” 

Waverly hikes the pants up and swats at Nicole’s arm as she walks by her. “Just get this show on the road, ass,” she says. Nicole nods, buttoning up her own snow pants before grabbing the rope of the sled. 

“Milady,” she says with a cheesy sweeping bow, “your carriage awaits.” 

“Ridiculous,” Waverly mumbles through a smile as she sits on the sled. Nicole laughs and takes off, pulling her over the snow. It’s a short walk to the top of the hill. 

“So this is apparently the only hill in _all_ of Alberta,” Nicole says as she lines up the nose of the toboggan to point the right way. “But I’m from a province where there’s actual topography, and I haven’t been sledding in ages.” She goes to sit behind Waverly, then pauses. “You don’t mind, do you? Me sitting behind you?”

Waverly’s heart flips. “Just get on, loser, we’re going sledding.” Nicole laughs and sits behind her, her long legs stretching out on either side of Waverly’s hips, boots resting against the curl of the sled’s front. In an act of sheer bravery, Waverly puts her hands on Nicole’s knees and pulls them in tighter to her body. 

“Okay?” Nicole asks, and Waverly shivers at how close her voice is. Not trusting herself to not say something like “my body is yours”, Waverly just nods. Nicole pushes at the snow with her hands, shuffling them forward until gravity kicks in and they’re flying down the hill. The wind whips the thick snowflakes into Waverly’s face, and she burrows deeper into her scarf. Nicole’s arms wrap around her waist, and Waverly really feels like she’s flying for a second. 

And then the sled topples over, dumping them both in the snow.

There’s a second of stunned silence, and then Nicole is bursting out into loud laughter. Waverly joins her soon, their ugly belly laughs ringing out. A kid in a snowsuit a few feet over gives them a weird look, carrying his saucer sled back up the hill. 

“That was fantastic,” Nicole says as her laughter subsides. “I forgot how fun this is.” 

“I can’t believe we fell,” Waverly says, taking a deep breath to try and calm her laughter, “when you’re _such_ an experienced Ontarian sledder.”

Nicole rolls over in the snow and flips some of the top powder at Waverly’s face. Their noses are only a few inches away, and every breath Waverly takes feels heady. “Snarky comments will only earn you a handful of icy cold down your back.” Waverly squeaks at the cold snow on her bare skin, and she pushes herself into a sitting position, taking a deep breath to clear her head. 

“Now we have to walk all the way back up,” she groans. Nicole nods. 

“That’s what makes this a sport,” she says, and Waverly groans. Nicole gets to her feet and offers her hand to help Waverly up. They both brush snow off their bodies, and they start the trek back up the hill. 

They toboggan for a while, taking a few solo trips, competing to see who could get the furthest run. Waverly wins and Nicole blames it on the fact that she weighs less. That leads to an argument about who can lift more, which in turn leads to Nicole saying that if Waverly is so strong, why doesn’t she pull Nicole back up the hill. That leads to Waverly giving up halfway up the hill and letting Nicole slide down backwards, the edge of the toboggan catching and dumping the redhead in a very ungraceful heap. 

They sit on the sled at the top of the hill as the sun goes down, sipping hot chocolate from tin cups that Nicole brought. 

“So,” Nicole says, “how did you like our first date?” 

“Eh,” Waverly says. Nicole bumps their shoulders together and Waverly laughs. “I’m kidding. It was…kind of perfect in a _very_ unexpected way.” 

“Yeah,” Nicole says, quiet and soft in the quickly disappearing daylight, “that sums it up.” 

Waverly looks at where their legs are pressed up against each other and smiles. Then she frowns. “Wait, is this the whole date?” 

Nicole’s eyebrows tug together in an unfairly cute way. “Um, what do you mean?”

“I mean, this is it?” Waverly says again, and she waves her cup around. “It’s only been like, two hours, Nicole. I thought you were going to impress me.” She winks so that Nicole knows she’s kidding, but there’s a tiny pit of dread at the thought of the day ending so soon. 

“Well,” Nicole says, “we could get dinner.” 

Waverly smiles. “There you go,” she says, patting Nicole’s thigh. She gets to her feet and helps Nicole up. Their hands linger together, and Waverly thinks she sees Nicole look at her lips, but she isn’t sure because she’s too busy staring at Nicole’s. Nicole squeezes her hand and Waverly thinks they’re both leaning forward, but then Nicole hisses and drops her hand.

“Shit, sorry, snow is _in_ my pants,” she says, wiggling her hips awkwardly. “And I made it worse, now it’s just dripping all over the place.” Waverly giggles, trying to calm her sprinting heart before it bursts out of her chest and pulls Nicole in for that kiss she’s been craving all afternoon. Nicole gives up on the wiggling, gathering up their things. 

“Here, hop on,” Waverly says, pointing at the sled. 

“You don’t have to do that,” Nicole says. 

“I want to,” Waverly says with the most nonchalant shrug she can manage. Nicole smiles and sits, and Waverly pulls her back to the car park. 

***

Nicole lives in an apartment in Calgary. They snow had picked up even more as they drove into the city, until Nicole had been crawling along the street at ten kilometres an hour. Nicole leads the way up to her apartment and hangs their coats up in the closet. 

“I’m just gonna go change,” Nicole says, “there’s no way these jeans are going to dry quickly.” She disappears down a short hallway, and Waverly stands in the entrance, looking around the small space. 

The far wall has tall windows, providing a dramatic view screen to the storm outside. The walls are sparse, a few framed movie posters. There are the usual things: couch, TV, small dining table, a bookshelf and a coffee table. The kitchen is separated by a breakfast bar. Then her eyes land on a lump of orange fur curled up at the end of the couch. 

Waverly walks over and sits down beside the cat, who lifts its head and regards her with a decidedly cautious look. “Hi there,” Waverly coos, reaching her hand out slowly. The cat watches her, and Waverly gently starts stroking the long orange fur. “You’re a sweetheart,” she says, and the cat’s tail flicks. 

“That’s Calamity Jane,” Nicole says from where’s she walked back into the main room, and Waverly turns to look at her. Which might have been a mistake, because Nicole somehow looks even _more_ attractive all dressed down in joggers and a soft looking sweater. “I left some clothes for you on my bed, if you want.” She goes into the kitchen and Waverly hears her fill the kettle. 

“Thanks,” Waverly says, and she heads down the hallway that Nicole just came from. The bedroom door is open, and Waverly slips inside. There’s a pile of clothing on the bed, and she changes quickly, rolling the cuffs of the sweatpants to make them fit her shorter legs. 

“Do you want coffee? Tea? More hot chocolate?” Nicole calls out from the kitchen. Waverly tugs the sweatshirt over her head and pads back out into the living room, her damp clothes in her arms. 

“Hot chocolate sounds great,” Waverly says. “Um, is there somewhere I can put these?” She holds up her clothes.

“Oh,” Nicole steps away from the counter and takes the clothes from Waverly, “here, let me.” She wanders off and comes back a moment later. “Hungry?” 

“Starving, actually,” Waverly says with a smile. 

“Well, let’s see what I have in the fridge,” Nicole says, and she bends down to peer into her fridge. “How does beer and margarine sound?” 

Waverly snorts. Then she claps a hand over her mouth and nose, her eyebrows shooting up into her hairline. “Oh my god, I can’t believe I just snorted,” she moans, and Nicole laughs. 

“It was great,” she says, “really, I’m like…at _least_ twenty percent more turned on now.” 

“Shut up,” Waverly groans, hopping up to sit on the counter. Nicole smiles and shuts the fridge. 

“Do you like pizza?” She sighs, and Waverly nods.   
  
“Almost as much as I like beer and butter.” 

“Now you’re just being sassy on purpose,” Nicole scolds her. Waverly shrugs, swinging her legs back and forth. 

“You’ve already told me you like me,” she says, “now I don’t have to try very hard.” 

“Is that so?” Nicole says with a little laugh, lifting an eyebrow. She steps towards Waverly, and Waverly swallows nervously, her stomach filling with butterflies. 

“Yup,” Waverly says, her voice catching. Nicole hums, and then Waverly is leaning forward and grabbing the collar of Nicole’s sweater, tugging her in close and almost slamming their lips together. Nicole squeaks in surprise, but then she’s got her hands on Waverly’s thighs and, after a moment of adjusting and figuring out their bodies, they’re really, totally, _properly_ kissing. Like, floating-on-a-cloud kissing. If they were standing, Waverly is pretty sure her heel would be lifting at how soft Nicole’s lips are, and how they move with a gentle purpose against her own, and how warm Nicole’s hands are through the material of her borrowed pants. 

Waverly weaves her fingers through Nicole’s hair, angling her head to deepen the kiss. Nicole’s tongue bumps against her bottom lip, and Waverly opens her mouth enough to let it slip past. Nicole moans, quiet and easily missed if, y’know, her tongue isn’t in your mouth. Waverly feels Nicole grip her thighs a little more tightly, and then her legs are being parted and Nicole pulls her forward, their bodies pressing tightly together. 

They pull back to take a breath, and Waverly inhales shakily. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” she admits. 

Nicole grins, licking her lips. “Yeah?”  
  
“Yeah.”

“Me too.” Then Nicole is leaning back in, and they’re kissing again. It sends tingles down to Waverly’s toes, and she hooks her legs behind Nicole’s knees. Nicole’s hands bracket her legs, her stomach pressing between them in almost the right spot. 

The kettle clicks off and Waverly disconnects their kiss. “Kettle’s boiled,” she breathes. 

“I’m pretty warm,” Nicole says, just as breathless as Waverly, “you?” Waverly nods fervently. Nicole smiles, a little wide-eyed, and then she’s kissing Waverly’s neck, nuzzling the skin and testing out the waters. 

“Harder,” Waverly instructs, and Nicole sucks on the patch of skin under the hinge of her jaw. Her teeth nip and Waverly nods, encouraging her. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Nicole mumbles into Waverly’s skin, her breath tickling the stray hairs that had fallen from her ponytail. Waverly bites her bottom lip and pulls at Nicole’s hair until their lips are sliding back together. Waverly slips her tongue into Nicole’s mouth, and it presses against Nicole’s tongue, wet and warm, and Waverly moans at the feeling. She traces the back of Nicole’s teeth, and then Nicole sucks on her tongue a little, drawing out another moan. 

“You’re pretty good at this,” Waverly breathes as Nicole leans back to change the angle. 

“Team effort.” 

“Not that I’m not enjoying this,” Waverly says, “but uh, I’m actually really hungry.” As if on cue, her stomach growls. 

Nicole groans, but she nods. “I’ll order that pizza, then.” 

Waverly trails her hands down from Nicole’s hair along the slope of her neck. “Thank you,” she says, leaning in for another kiss. This one is soft, and feels almost too familiar for a first date. But Waverly can’t pull away, and Nicole reads the tone perfectly. It’s slow and caring, and when they part, Waverly opens her eyes slowly. Nicole is staring at her with something in her brown eyes, something deep and open. 

“Wow,” Nicole says, and Waverly nods. They stare at each other for a beat, and then Nicole is clearing her throat and stepping back, just enough to put a bit of space between their bodies. “Um, right. Pizza. Gonna get some pizza.” 

Waverly watches, bemused, as Nicole looks around for her phone, mumbling something about pizza under her breath. “You alright there?” She asks, leaning back on her hands. 

“Totally,” Nicole says, giving Waverly the world’s most awkward finger guns. She visibly winces at it, and Waverly giggles. “Let’s just forget that ever happened.” 

“Never,” Waverly says, “I’m going to stick that in my permanent memory bank.” 

Nicole pouts. “You’re mean.” 

“You’re supposed to be ordering me a pizza,” Waverly says. Nicole sighs and finds her phone by the kettle. 

“Alright,” Nicole says, walking back to stand in front of Waverly, “what do you like?” 

Waverly reaches out and grabs the drawstrings of Nicole’s joggers, tugging her closer. “Don’t freak out,” she says, and Nicole watches as Waverly’s fingers tangle in the strings.

“Why would I freak out?”

“Well, for one you look like your head might explode,” Waverly says, and Nicole rolls her eyes, “and two…I kinda like Hawaiian pizza.” 

Nicole looks up and smiles. “You’re the perfect girl, Waverly.” Waverly laughs and accepts the enthusiastic kiss that Nicole presses to her lips. 

“I’m going to get comfy on the couch,” Waverly says, hopping off the counter and brushing past Nicole. “Come join me when you’re done?” Nicole nods wordlessly, and Waverly feels her eyes on her the whole way to the couch. 

Calamity Jane looks up from where she’s still sleeping on the couch, meowing at Waverly as she sits down and starts petting her again. Waverly listens to Nicole on the phone, letting the soft sound of her voice wash over her. She hears Nicole hang up and tilts her head over the back of the couch. 

“So, bad news,” Nicole says, walking over to her. 

“No pizza?” Waverly sticks out her bottom lip in a pout. 

“God that’s cute,” Nicole says, almost like she forgot Waverly could hear her. She shakes her head a little and blinks. “Um, sorry. No, there’s pizza. Only problem is they aren’t delivering because of the storm, so…”

Waverly groans and flops onto her back. “Don’t tell me we have to suit up.” 

Nicole grins, her eyebrows pulled together in an apologetic way. “Either that or we’re buttering beer for dinner.” 

“You know, Nicole,” Waverly says as she stands up off the couch, “if we’re going to have a second date, you’re going to need to buy food.” She pats Nicole’s arm as she walks by her, and Nicole scoffs. 

“I buy food,” she defends, “sometimes. When I _know_ I’m going to be entertaining.” 

“Okay, if you say so,” Waverly says, and Nicole grabs her by the waist, spinning her into her arms. Waverly’s hands rest against Nicole’s clavicle, and she curls her fingers into the fabric of her sweater. Nicole looks like she might say something, but then she thinks better of it and leans down for a kiss. Waverly reciprocates eagerly, sighing into Nicole’s mouth when warm hands creep under the back of her sweater. 

“We’re never going to get any food at this rate,” Nicole says between kisses. 

“Shut up,” Waverly mumbles, leaning up to reattach their lips. Nicole laughs, but then they’re both melting into each other, and Waverly has the funniest feeling that this, right here in Nicole’s arms, already feels a little like home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said. A lot more snow. Lots of Canadian. And hey! Wasn't even planning on these two getting so frisky, but y'know. They write themselves. Also I'm one hundred percent awful at slow-burn. Enjoy that, my dudes. 
> 
> A thousand thank yous to everyone for reading, kudos-ing (?), and commenting! I love you all. Happy Hanukah to anyone who is celebrating! And I hope everyone is enjoying the month of holidays :)


	3. it came upon a midnight clear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole drinks something that tastes like Christmas. Waverly stares at her ass. The snow storm passes but Hurricane Wynonna blows in.

The TV screen illuminates the living room. Waverly sneaks a peek over at Nicole and presses her lips together to stop the laughter that bubbles up when she sees that Nicole’s mouthing the words along with the movie. 

“How many times have you seen this?” Waverly asks. Nicole side-eyes her. 

“Enough times,” she retorts, and Waverly rolls her eyes. She grabs another slice of pizza from the the box on the coffee table. 

“ _You ain’t seen ‘Bad Boys 2’?_ ” Nick Frost’s character is saying. 

“Why do I have the feeling that every line in this movie is going to come full circle in some way,” Waverly sighs. 

“That’s just good writing,” Nicole says, “it’s not easy to do. Sometimes writers lose the plot, but not these guys. It’s fantastic.” 

Waverly hums, and she traces the outline of Nicole’s profile with her eyes. The slope of her nose, the bow of her lips. They’re sitting on opposite ends of the couch, because apparently you can make out for ages and still feel awkward when it comes time to just sit beside each other. 

“Watch the movie, Waverly,” Nicole teases, “there’s going to be a quiz after.” 

Waverly eats her pizza and turns her attention back to the screen. 

It’s a funny movie. But half an hour later, Waverly reaches out and hits the pause button. Nicole frowns. 

“What’s up?” She asks, and Waverly turns to her. 

“It’s a good movie,” Waverly says slowly, “but…”

Nicole raises her eyebrow. “But?” 

“Well, I just think there are some better ways we could spend our time,” Waverly says with a shrug. Nicole grins and moves closer on the couch. 

“You don’t say,” Nicole says with a playful waggle of her eyebrows. Waverly laughs and Nicole plans in, gently holding Waverly’s chin in her hand and kissing her. 

“I mean, that’s good,” Waverly says, catching her breath once Nicole’s pulled away, “like, wow, really good,” Nicole leans back in and Waverly tilts her head away so lips land on her cheek, “but I was _thinking_ we could talk. Get to know each other.”

And maybe it’s a testament to the shitty types of people Waverly’s dated before, or to Nicole’s impeccable manners, but she just leans back and smiles. “Sounds perfect.” 

“Really?” Waverly asks, wary. 

“Yes really,” Nicole says with a small chuckle, “why wouldn’t I want to get to know you better? You’re awesome.” 

Waverly blushes, looking down at her lap. “Smooth-talker.” She clears her throat and regains some composure, just enough to reduce the chances of blabbing out nonsense and making a fool of herself. Barely. “So, okay. Tell me something about yourself.”

“Oh, so I have to do all the work?” Nicole asks. 

“Yes, you’ll learn this about me, I’m very demanding,” Waverly answers.

“I’m into that,” Nicole says with a poorly executed wink. Waverly blushes regardless, and Nicole drapes an arm over the back of the couch. “Okay, something about me…” She taps her index finger against her chin. 

“Doesn’t have to be complicated,” Waverly says. 

“My favourite colour is rainbow,” Nicole says. 

“Rainbow isn’t a colour.” 

“I’m gay, we invented rainbows.” 

“I’m gay, and I say that’s bull-shark.”

Nicole laughs and scoots a little closer, their legs pressing together. Waverly turns her body to face Nicole better, crossing her legs under her. “So you’re gay? I thought maybe bi, but you know what they say happens when you assume.” 

“I mean,” Waverly says with a shrug, “I’m pretty sure I’m gay. I dated a boy for almost three years, but…something about girls feels right, y’know?” Nicole nods, eyes locked with Waverly’s the whole time. Something about the attention makes Waverly want to keep talking, and she knows that Nicole is sincere in her interest. “I think I thought I was bi in order to justify why it took me so long to realize that I liked girls. But now…I just can’t picture myself being able to be with a guy anymore, if that makes sense.” 

“Totally,” Nicole says. “It’s different for everyone. I dated one boy in like, grade eleven. For _maybe_ five months. And looking back, I know I didn’t really like him. I just felt comfortable with him. There’s no time limit on being gay. You’re allowed to conclude whatever you want from your own experiences.” 

It’s so honest, and Waverly feels her heart open up at every word. There’s something endlessly refreshing about hearing her own thoughts and fears put into words by another person, and she feels herself moving closer to Nicole. 

“So what made you realize you were a lesbian?” Waverly asks, and Nicole smirks. 

“Well, I touched a vagina and was like ‘yes, this is good’,” she says with a laugh. Waverly laughs and shoves Nicole’s shoulder. 

“Seriously?” 

“Kind of,” Nicole answers. “It’s all about figuring it out, though. I think I’ve always known on some level, but you don’t really _know_ until you experience it, at least in my case.” Nicole’s hand brushes Waverly’s shoulder from where it’s hanging off the back of the couch. Waverly reaches up and takes it in hers, pulling Nicole’s arm around her shoulders. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in love,” Waverly says quietly. “I think I’m scared I won’t ever be.” It’s deep, maybe too deep, but it’s the constant quiet reassurance in Nicole’s eyes that makes her say it. 

“You don’t ever have to be,” Nicole assures her, voice soft, and she squeezes Waverly’s hand. 

“I think I want to be,” Waverly breathes, and they’re kissing. It’s everything too soon, but Waverly feels like this one day is the day she’s been waiting for her whole life. Every kiss steals her breath and gives it right back, and Nicole holds her face like it’s made of porcelain. Waverly sighs into Nicole’s mouth as a tongue slips past her lips, warm and heavy in her mouth. 

“That got heavy really quickly,” Waverly says when they part. Nicole hums and rubs their noses together. 

“I like that it’s this easy to talk to you,” Nicole says. 

“Yeah, it is,” Waverly agrees. They kiss slowly, soft. 

“So what’s you favourite animal?” Nicole asks, and Waverly laughs small and quiet. 

“Just dialling it right back, eh?” Waverly teases. 

Nicole shrugs, and Waverly has to pull into another kiss for the unfairly cute smile on her face. 

“I like penguins,” Waverly says against Nicole’s lips. 

“I like tigers,” Nicole mutters back, slotting their lips back together. They kiss until they’re moaning into each other’s mouths, hot breath mixing between them. Nicole pulls until Waverly is straddling her on the couch. Nicole’s hands rest at Waverly’s hips, thumbs tucked up under the fabric of Waverly’s borrowed sweatshirt. 

“Sports?” Waverly asks, breathy and distracted as she tries to recapture Nicole’s lips in hers. 

“Rugby to play,” Nicole answers, nipping at Waverly’s bottom lip, “hockey to watch.” 

“I was a cheerleader,” Waverly says, angling Nicole’s head to leave a trail of sharp kisses down her neck. 

“Fuck,” Nicole whispers. Waverly sucks a small mark into the base of her neck. “Um, favourite food?”

“Sweet and sour soup with a dollop of peanut butter,” Waverly says. She bites Nicole’s earlobe gently, drawing a gasp from the woman underneath her. 

“That sounds nasty,” Nicole says through her gasping breaths while Waverly sucks lightly on her earlobe, moving to scrape her teeth on the shell of her ear. Nicole’s hands grip her hips tightly. “My mom used to make a really good beef and barley stew.”

Waverly picks up on the past tense, and she pulls back and strokes Nicole’s hair back. “Used to?” 

“Oh, she’s alive,” Nicole says, “she just, uh, doesn’t talk to me. Or I don’t talk to her.” Nicole clears her throat and shrugs. “It’s no big deal, really. Same old story of homophobic parents and being kicked out.” 

“I’m so sorry, I had no idea,” Waverly fumbles, and Nicole waves it off. 

“Seriously, Waverly, it’s no big deal,” she says, “it was years ago and I’m doing fine without them.” 

Waverly bites her bottom lip and sits back in Nicole’s lap a bit. “My dad died when I was six, and my mom left when I was four.”

“Hey,” Nicole says, eyebrows pulling together in concern, “this isn’t like, a tit for tat situation. I’m not telling you these things because I want you to reciprocate.”

“Me neither,” Waverly says, tucking Nicole’s hair behind her ear, “but I want to tell you.” Nicole smiles, something like disbelief crossing her face. She leans in and kisses Waverly, lips moving slowly and deliberately. 

“We aren’t that great at the whole ‘casual’ thing, huh?” Nicole says, and Waverly laughs. 

“No, for a first date this is the least casual I’ve ever felt,” she says. Nicole smiles. 

“It’s kind of great though, isn’t it?” 

Waverly nods and leans in, stopping before their lips meet. “Really great.” 

***

“Look at baby girl, walk of shaming it,” Wynonna says with a wolf-whistle when Waverly gets dropped off the next morning. “I’m proud of you, you needed to get laid.” Waverly gives her the finger and flops down on the couch next to her. 

“I am not ‘walk of shaming it’,” she retorts. “I’m not even wearing yesterday’s clothes.”

“You’re wearing someone else’s clothes,” Wynonna points out, “which is even more shameful.” 

“For the record, the idea that a girl feels any shame coming home the next morning is very toxic,” Waverly argues, “because girls are allowed to have sex. And if I want to go get laid and then roll back home the next day, I’m damn well going to do it! Stop sex-shaming me!” 

Wynonna’s brow furrows and she looks Waverly up and down. “You didn’t get laid, did you.”

Waverly groans and flops her head back. “No, I didn’t.” 

“Boo, boring,” Wynonna groans. “It must have been alright though, since you’re coming home now.” 

Waverly hums and closes her eyes, remembering how she and Nicole stayed up late talking and trading kisses on her bed, the storm raging just outside the window. She remembers the way Nicole’s hands felt and how her lips moved, and how she curled around Waverly’s body when they finally succumbed to sleep. 

“Yeah, it was…amazing, actually,” Waverly sighs. 

“You’ve got it bad,” Wynonna teases, and Waverly shrugs. 

“Maybe so,” she says. Wynonna pats her knee. “Ugh, I have to go to work in, like, an hour.” 

“Sucks to suck,” Wynonna says as Waverly stands up. As she rounds the back of the couch, she smacks the back of Wynonna’s head. “Hey!” Waverly takes off running before Wynonna can retaliate, slamming her door shut and locking it. 

“Who’s slamming doors in my house?” Gus yells from somewhere in the house.

“Wynonna!” Waverly yells back. 

“It wasn’t me, it was Waves!” Wynonna shouts from right outside Waverly’s door. 

“I don’t care who it was, just stop it!” Gus hollers. 

“Sorry, Gus!” The sisters reply in unison. 

Waverly changes into her clothes for work, her usual high-waisted jeans and her favourite Shorty’s shirt, tying it up at the back. Her hair is still damp from the shower she took at Nicole’s earlier, so she leaves it loose. As she’s gathering up her things, her phone goes off with a text. 

**Nicole [11:46]:** _hey :) just wanted to say I had a really great time with you last night. I hope we can do it again soon xo_

Waverly grins, biting her bottom lip and tapping out a reply. 

**Waverly [11:46]:** _I had a really great time too :) is it too much if I say I wish I could see you again tonight? haha_

**Nicole [11:47]:** _I’m off at 7…_

**Waverly [11:48]:** _I’m working until close, probably around 1am :(_

**Nicole [11:50]:** _what’s the name of the bar you work at?_

**Waverly [11:55]:** _Shorty’s, it’s on the main street in Purgatory_

**Nicole [11:56]:** _right. well, if you get off early or anything changes, let me know :) i’d love to see you again asap_

Waverly’s heart flutters at the honesty in Nicole’s words, and she clutches her phone to her chest for a second, like some lovesick teenager. 

**Waverly [11:58]** _will do :)_

***

Waverly is making change for Pete York when the door opens and cold winter air rushes in around her ankles. She looks up to give the newcomers a cursory smile and wave, but surprise stops her before she can. Because enter Nicole and two more people, looking around the bar with a smile on her lips. It takes her a second to spot Waverly, but as soon as she does, she’s saying something to her friends and striding over to the bar. 

“Hey,” Nicole says, leaning her elbows on the edge of the bar. 

“Hi,” Waverly answers, a wide smile stuck on her face, “what’re you doing here?”

Nicole shrugs. “I heard this place was pretty cool,” she says. “Plus, I have it on good authority that they’ve got the best looking bartender this side of the prairies.”

“I’ll let Shorty know you think so highly of him,” Waverly teases. Nicole rolls her eyes. 

“I hope you don’t mind me coming,” Nicole says, and Waverly can see a little bit of concern in Nicole’s eyes. Waverly can’t help but laugh, because _as if_ seeing Nicole can ever be considered a bad thing. 

“As long as you tip well, you can be wherever you like,” Waverly says. Nicole smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. Waverly reaches across the bar and puts her hand over Nicole’s. “I’m kidding, you hoser. I’m… _really_ happy to see you.” 

Nicole instantly brightens, turning her hand over and gently tickling Waverly’s palm. “Me too,” she says, low and nearly inaudible over the music. There’s a moment where they look at each other, and Nicole licks her lips, and Waverly follows the movement of her (very talented) tongue, and they both lean in a little. 

But then Waverly hears a glass smash somewhere and she’s shocked right back into reality, where she’s at work and probably shouldn’t be making out with the patrons or having them bend her over the bar - 

Woah. Waverly shakes her head to clear it and reluctantly pulls her hand back. 

“What can I get you and your friends?” She asks Nicole after making sure Shorty was taking care of the broken glass. 

“Right,” Nicole says, and she blinks rapidly a few times, pulling her eyes up from where they were still stuck on Waverly’s lips. “Uh, we’ll get a pitcher of whatever IPA you’ve got on tap.” 

Waverly nods and pulls the pitcher, putting it on the bar and grabbing three glasses. “You’ve got it?” 

Nicole nods. “Thanks, Waverly.” She pulls out her wallet, but Waverly shakes her head, refusing to take her debit card. 

“First one is on the house,” she insists. 

“Waverly, it’s fine, I can pay for my drinks,” Nicole tries to resist. 

“I’m sure you can, officer, but I’m not going to let you.”

“Is there any chance I’ll change your mind?”

“No, I wouldn’t say there is.” 

Nicole huffs, but she’s still got that ear-to-ear smile and her eyes are all kinds of soft and a little adoring. “Alright, you win this round.” She takes the pitcher and glasses, heading to the table her friends had grabbed. Waverly stares at her ass as she walks away, until she realizes that she’s _staring at her ass_ and she looks away with a flush of heat to her cheeks. 

A half hour goes by in relative peace, and Waverly is able to spend a lot of time trying to catch Nicole’s eye. It’s actually a pretty easy task, because Nicole seems to spend a lot of time trying to catch Waverly’s eye, so they do a lot of smiling across the room and looking absolutely smitten with each other. 

Everything is going smoothly until the door flies open and Hurricane Wynonna comes whirling in, all leather and already glowing with bad decisions. John Henry follows in behind her, his hat pulled low over his eyes and his long overcoat billowing as the wind buffets him before the door shuts. 

They look like every outlaw in every cowboy movie ever, and Waverly can feel the calm air of the night slipping away. 

“Two of your middle-est whiskeys, bar wench!” Wynonna says, slapping the bar top with her palm. John Henry just smiles at her while she pours the drinks. 

“Next time you call me ‘bar wench’, I’m going to punch you,” Waverly warns her sister. 

“I don’t think you’re allowed to punch customers,” Wynonna says, sticking her tongue out at Waverly. 

“You’re not a customer, you’re my sister.”

Wynonna shrugs and grabs her glass. She turns to look around the bar. “See anyone we can swindle tonight, Doc?” 

John Henry takes a sip of his whiskey and looks around. “I believe we have a winner,” he says, and Waverly groans. 

“Please don’t rob my customers, I need tip money!” But they’re already gone, and Waverly just watches with trepidation her heart. 

Trepidation that soon turns into panic when she sees who they’re heading for. 

“Shit,” she mutters. Shorty gives her a weird look from where he’s wiping down the bar, and Waverly just smiles. “Wynonna,” she offers as explanation.

Shorty chuckles. “Say no more.”

Waverly takes the next order, watching Wynonna with one eye while she pours the drink. It all looks harmless from here, all of them smiling and laughing and chatting away. But if Waverly knows anything, it’s that nothing Wynonna does is harmless. 

And she’s soon proven right when the group of unlikely acquaintances moves to the pool table. 

“Better go warn your friend that she’s about to get cleaned out,” Shorty says. Waverly sighs and walks out from behind the bar, making her way to the pool table. 

“Hey there, sis,” Wynonna says, “we’ve made some new friends. They’re going to help us with our pool game.” She turns to Nicole and her friends with an exaggerated sigh. “I’m just _awful_ at pool, and Henry here has never been able to figure out the whole ‘angle’ thing.” 

“Wait, ‘sis’?” Nicole says, looking at Waverly with a furrowed brow. 

“You know each other?” Wynonna asks. 

“You have a sister?” 

Waverly looks between the two women, her mouth opening and closing as she tries to find words. 

“Oh my god, is this the chick you didn’t bang?” Wynonna says, pointing an accusing finger in Nicole’s face. Nicole swats it away and scowls at her. 

“I’m Jeremy,” Nicole’s smaller friend pipes up, smiling so hard that the anxiety leaks out through his teeth. 

“Dude,” Nicole’s taller friend, the one Waverly recognizes now from the gift wrapping booth, hisses,“not the time.”

“Waverly?” Nicole prompts. 

Waverly sighs. “Nicole, this is Wynonna, my sister.” She turns to Wynonna. “Wy, this is Nicole, the girl I went out with yesterday.” She turns back to Nicole. “My sister likes to hustle unaware people in bars and clean them out for drinking money.” 

Nicole blinks, a little stunned. “Oh.” 

Waverly turns back to Wynonna, and pokes her forehead. “If I see any funny business, I’m kicking you out.” 

“Lame,” Wynonna complains. 

“I’m sure we can hold our own,” the taller of Nicole’s friends says. Wynonna looks him up and down, his clearly expensive wardrobe and shiny watch. 

“Wanna put your money where your mouth is, city kid?” Wynonna says. John Henry smirks from his place at Wynonna’s shoulder. 

He doesn’t reply, just brushes by them and grabs a cue. “You want to break?” 

Wynonna and John Henry exchange a look. Waverly groans and shakes her head. 

“I hope your friend knows what he’s doing,” Waverly says to Nicole, who just laughs. 

“X is going to be just fine,” she assures her, “he’s got Jeremy.” 

Waverly casts a dubious look at where Jeremy has just knocked the cue rack onto the floor, scrabbling to pick them all up. “You sure about that?”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Nicole says with a wink. Waverly rolls her eyes and bumps Nicole’s bicep with her shoulder. 

“You aren’t going to get it on that action?” She asks, and Nicole shakes her head. “Why not?” 

“I’m garbage at pool,” Nicole says. “It’s safer to just keep me as far away from the table as possible.” 

Waverly gasps and claps a hand to her chest dramatically. “Something you aren’t amazing at? Why Nicole, I never knew it was possible!” 

“Shut up,” Nicole laughs, and Waverly grins. “I’ll have you know that I’m not perfect at _everything_ , just _most_ things.” 

“And you’re so humble,” Waverly teases. 

“Probably the best at being humble,” Nicole fires back with a smile, her dimples showing up and causing Waverly to grow a whole flock of butterflies in her stomach. She isn’t sure when they got this close, but she estimates that if she just took one small step forward and leaned up, she could be kissing Nicole. And god, she really wants to. 

“I should probably get back to work before Shorty fires me,” Waverly says, and Nicole nods. 

“Okay,” she says. 

“You could always come sit at the bar,” Waverly suggests as casually as she can, “so you don’t curse the pool game with your lack of skill.” 

Nicole’s smile widens. “That sounds like a pretty good idea.” 

“Maybe I’ll see you there, then.”

“Maybe.” 

Waverly walks away backwards, maintaining eye contact with Nicole until she bumps into a table and turns around to hide the way her face has turned bright red with embarrassment. She busies herself behind the bar, wiping down the top that Shorty had just finished cleaning, straightening out the bottles and cans in the fridge, checking stock. 

When she turns back around from straightening all the bottles on the back wall, Nicole is sitting at the bar with a smile. Waverly walks over to her and leans on the bar. 

“What can I get you?” 

“What would the house recommend?” 

“Well,” she turns and grabs two bottles of schnapps - one peppermint and one chocolate, “we’ve got a ton of this to get rid of after the holiday season.” 

Nicole nods. “Sounds perfect.” Waverly starts mixing, eyeballing the ratio and sliding the glass to Nicole. 

“Voilà,” she says with a flourish, “a Christmas beverage.” 

“Merci beaucoup,” Nicole replies lifting the glass to Waverly and taking a sip. She smacks her lips together with a playful glint in her eyes. “Delightful, mademoiselle.” Waverly does a little curtsy. 

“You aren’t driving tonight, are you?” She asks, and Nicole shrugs. 

“I guess that depends.”

“On what?” 

Nicole makes meaningful eye contact with Waverly. “On whether or not I get a better offer, I guess.” 

Waverly bites her bottom lip and leans closer to Nicole over the bar. She vaguely registers that it’s probably very good that there’s a bar between them, because every fibre of her being is telling her to grab Nicole by the shoulders and kiss the hell out of her. 

“I live above the bar,” she says, voice low and full of suggestion. Nicole’s tongue pokes out to wet her lips, and Waverly feels a slow burn start low in her belly. 

“I thought you lived out in the boonies with your aunt,” Nicole says.

“I stay there over Christmas.”

“I see. And you’re off at one?” 

Waverly nods, reaching out and tracing the lines of Nicole’s hand with her finger. Nicole exhales shakily and looks at Waverly through her eyelashes. “Don’t drink too much,” she says, and Nicole nods. “Good,” Waverly says, and it takes every ounce of her self-control to lean back and attend to the next customer. She feels Nicole’s eyes on her the whole time, and when she catches Nicole staring at her ass, she smirks triumphantly. 

It’s just past midnight when Nicole’s friend X comes over with a serious look on his already serious face. Waverly is wiping down glasses, and she does her best to look like she isn’t eavesdropping. 

“Captain needs us in,” X is saying. Nicole groans and drops her head on the bar. 

“Did she say why?”

“There was a shooting downtown,” X says gravely, and Waverly’s heart squeezes painfully, “she needs all hands on deck.”

“I’ve had a bit to drink,” Nicole says. “I’m going to have to do all the booking, aren’t I…” Waverly watches Nicole pinch the bridge of her nose and squeeze her eyes shut for a second. “Just give me a second to say bye, okay?” X nods and squeezes her shoulder before going to get Jeremy. 

Nicole catches Waverly’s eye and waves her over. She’s got an apologetic look on her face, and Waverly prepares herself for the news she knows is going to come. 

“I have to go,” Nicole says regretfully. “There’s been an incident in the city, and Captain Lucado needs us all in.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Waverly says, and she means it, but she still feels disappointment coil lightly around her throat. 

“I’m really sorry,” Nicole says. 

“Seriously, Nicole,” Waverly says with a smile, “it’s fine. Go be a hero.” 

Nicole grins and stands up off the stool. “Yes ma’am.” 

X shows up then with Nicole’s jacket. She takes it and pulls it on, and she turns back to Waverly. 

“I’m going to call you tomorrow,” Nicole says, “and we’ll touch base. I’ll probably be pretty busy for the next few days, big stuff like this takes a lot of manpower, but I’m going to call you. And we can chat, and then we can figure out our next date.” 

Waverly smiles, her stomach fluttering. “Sounds good.” Nicole stares at Waverly for a second more and then takes a sharp breath and nods. 

“It was really nice seeing you,” she says. 

“You too,” Waverly says, “like, really nice.” Nicole smiles one more time, and then she’s turning to leave, her friends waiting for her at the door. Just as she goes to leave, Waverly calls out her name, dashing out from behind the bar. Nicole turns, waving her friends on. 

“Yeah?” She asks as Waverly nears her. Waverly stops with the toes of her shoes touching the toes of Nicole’s boots. She wraps her arms around Nicole’s neck and pulls her down until they meet in a sweet kiss. 

“Be careful?” 

Nicole smiles, big and bright. “Always.” 

Then she’s gone, and Waverly is sighing happily, returning to wipe down more glasses with a dreamy look in her eyes.

“You’ve got it bad, baby girl,” Wynonna teases her. Waverly shrugs and flicks her damp towel near Wynonna’s face. 

***

_Hey Waverly, it’s Nicole. Sorry I couldn’t make the call earlier, I’ve been totally swamped all day with filing and reports and contacting families. Listen, X is throwing a New Year’s party, and I’ve had it booked off for months. You can bring Wynonna and John Henry, any other friends you’d like. Oh, shit, I meant to invite you, if that wasn’t obvious. Sorry. Let me try that again. I’d really like it if you came, as my date. To the party. Let me know, and I’ll give you all the details. Hopefully I’ll hear from you soon. Bye!_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit my dudes, I've been blown away by your response to this. You're all gems and I hope you're having the most wonderful holiday seasons :) this was a less-christmassy chapter but don't worry. I've got it all worked out.


	4. auld lang syne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly sits on another counter. Nicole pours a glass of wine. It's snowing outside, but none gets in anyone's pants.

“You have to promise you’ll behave.”

“I always behave!”

“Well that’s just a load of horse shit and you know it.”

“God, fine, I promise I won’t embarrass you in front of your girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend, she’s just...a girl who I like and have made out with quite substantially.”

“Whatever, dude, I don’t care what you want to call it. I promise to be on my best behaviour.” 

Waverly gives Wynonna one more wary look, but she finally unlocks the doors of her jeep. Wynonna and John Henry climb out into the snowy parking lot, and Waverly follows suit after giving herself one more once over in the rear view. Her makeup is immaculate, minimalist but still striking enough to draw attention. Her hair is braided back from her face, and she checks her teeth for lipstick, popping a mint in her mouth when she’s finally satisfied. 

“Let’s go, Narcissus!” Wynonna bangs her hand on the passenger window, giving Waverly a bit of a fright. 

“Calm down,” Waverly scolds, grabbing the bag of alcohol she packed. Her mind drifts to the other bag she packed for tonight, but she leaves it in the trunk.

John Henry holds the door open for them, and Waverly texts Nicole to let her know they’re here. 

“Swanky place,” Wynonna says. 

John Henry states through the glass partition at the fancy chandelier in the lobby. “Crystal, I believe,” he says. 

“I guess it pays to be a lawman these days,” Wynonna muses. 

Waverly tunes them out so that if the chandelier goes missing, she can honestly claim she had no idea what happened. Her eyes stay trained on the elevator, and when they sing and slide open, her heart races in her chest and pounds in her ears. 

Nicole strides out, all dark jeans and dark eyeliner, and Waverly sticks her tongue out to moisten her lips before she can even think about it. 

“Thirsty,” Wynonna mumbles. Waverly stomps on her toe with the raised heel of her boot. 

Nicole opens the door with a friendly smile and eyes that focus on Waverly. “Hey,” she says, letting the door shut on its own as the group files past her into the warm lobby. 

“Hey,” Waverly says, “happy new year!” She stops in front of Nicole, and the rise of her boots matched with the flat soles of Nicole’s shoes means that when she leans up to leave a lingering kiss on Nicole’s cheek, it’s only an inch or two that she has to bridge. 

“Yeah, happy new year,” Nicole answers. “Or, almost new year. Can I take your bag?” 

Waverly smiles and hands it over. 

“Any chance you two want to actually go to the party now?” Wynonna says, leaning up against the wall near the elevators. John Henry nudges her with a bit of a reprimanding look. 

“Right, sorry,” Nicole says, and she puts her hand on the small of Waverly’s back, resting there as they walk to join the two others. Wynonna hits the call button, and they wait in silence for the elevator. It dings and opens, and Nicole presses the button for the penthouse. 

“Holy shit,” Wynonna breathes, “how does a rookie cop have this much money?” 

“It’s family money,” Nicole says, “trust me, no one becomes a police officer for the money.” 

“Apparently they do it because of their favourite movies,” Waverly says, bumping Nicole’s hip with her own. 

Nicole laughs. “Which you still haven’t finished.” 

“One day,” Waverly says with a non-committal wave of her hand. Nicole hums a little disbelievingly, her fingers tapping gently against Waverly’s back. Waverly leans a little closer, breathing in the intoxicating smell of Nicole’s perfume, something sharp and a little smoky, like a campfire and a bottle of Chanel made a really attractive child together. 

The elevator reaches the end of the line and the doors open up into a small lobby. Waverly can hear loud, pounding music, and when Nicole opens the door for them, her jaw drops a little. 

It’s fancy. Like, not the type of place you would expect to see in Calgary, or real life. The windows are floor to ceiling, spanning the two storey open concept main room, a winding metal staircase leading up to a balcony and a hallway that probably leads to all the other rooms in the house. 

“What’s your friend’s name again?” Wynonna asks Nicole, her eyes stuck on the view. 

“Xavier Dolls,” Nicole answers. 

“Got it,” Wynonna says, reaching for John Henry’s hand, “see you later.” 

Waverly watches them go with a bemused expression. “If they steal anything, I’m sorry in advance.” 

Nicole laughs and takes Waverly’s hand. “Come on, let’s get a drink.” She leads the way through the crowd, and Waverly can’t help the thrill that shoots through her the whole time her hand is clutched in Nicole’s, or the disappointment that comes when she lets go. 

Nicole puts the bag that Waverly brought up on the kitchen island and pulls out the contents - a bottle of whiskey for Wynonna and John Henry, a bottle of twelve dollar red wine for herself, and a fancy bottle of champagne for Xavier. Which, looking at the bottles already lined up, is neither necessary nor that expensive in comparison. 

“Wine?” Nicole asks, and Waverly nods. Nicole hands her a glass and fills it halfway. She goes into the fridge and grabs a tall can of cider. “Cheers.” They tap their drinks together. 

“I feel a little underdressed,” Waverly says, tugging self consciously at her skirt. 

“You look beautiful,” Nicole says, and Waverly blushes. “I’m really glad you came. I know you might have had other plans.”

Waverly snorts. “Trust me, I’d way rather Be here with you than back in Purgatory trying to mediate between Stephanie Jones and Wynonna over a bad bottle of cheap rosé.” 

“Well, I’m glad that I’m at least a little more bearable than that,” Nicole says, and Waverly steps into her space, tucking the tips of him fingers into the front pocket of Nicole’s jeans. She hears Nicole’s breath hitch, and she smirks. 

“Way more bearable,” Waverly says, “I actually like you.” 

Nicole smiles and leans down, their nose bumping together as she angles her head and fits their lips together. Waverly melts into it, and Nicole pulls away with the barest brush of her tongue to the seam of Waverly’s lips.

“So much more bearable,” Waverly breathes. 

Nicole smiles, all kinds of soft and Waverly pulls her in for another kiss.

“Sorry,” she says, thumbing at Nicole’s bottom lip, “got some colour on you.” Nicole presses the smallest kiss to Waverly’s thumb. 

“‘S’alright,” she mumbles. She clears he throat and nods over Waverly’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go see where your sister went off to. With my luck, she’s somehow managed to convince X to place money on a game of flip cup.” 

“You play flip cup at fancy parties like this?” Waverly asks, raising her voice to be heard over the loud music as they make their way through the crowd. 

“Three year champ of solo flip cup right here,” Nicole says with a grin. Waverly laughs, narrowly avoiding being bumped by a large dude in a pair of star-shaped sunglasses. 

“Hey, Haught!”

They’re stopped by the approach of a blonde woman holding a bottle of tequila. 

“Shapiro,” Nicole greets her with a smile, draping her arm over Waverly’s shoulders. “Happy new year, asshole.” 

The blonde woman, Shapiro, grins. Waverly is reminded of a wolf. 

“Yeah, fuck you too,” Shapiro says, slugging Nicole in the shoulder. “I still can’t believe the Captain gave you tonight and tomorrow off. I’ve got to go in at six tomorrow morning.” 

“That’s what happens when you piss Lucado off,” Nicole says with a shrug. “I kissed ass for months to get these days off.” She looks at Waverly and mimes gagging. 

“I hate you,” Shapiro groans.

“Sure you do.” Nicole squeezes Waverly into her side. “Shapiro, this is Waverly. Waverly, Eliza Shapiro.” 

Waverly holds out her hand and Eliza shakes it. “Nice to meet you,” Waverly says with her best customer service smile. 

“You too,” Eliza replies. “Has Haught here shown you around?” 

“Oh, no, I just got here,” Waverly says.

“Weak game, Haught,” Eliza teases Nicole. 

“Hey,” Nicole tries to protest with a small frown.

“Yeah, Haught,” Waverly joins in, looking up at her and bumping their hips, “weak game.” 

“Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour,” Eliza says, and Waverly steps out from under Nicole’s arm. “I think X was looking for a flip cup teammate, Haught.” 

“But-“

“Bye Nicole, have fun!” Waverly says, and she follows Eliza off through the crowd. 

“That was too much fun,” Eliza says as they walk up the stairs, “she’s so easy to make fun of. How long have you two been together?”

“Oh,” Waverly says, waving a hand in protest, “we aren’t together. I guess this is our third date?” 

Eliza pauses at a door and frowns. “Huh. Totally thought you guys were a thing, considering how much she talks about you at work.” 

“She talks about me?” 

Eliza looks at her like she’s crazy. “You’re like, the only thing she’s talked about for weeks.” 

Waverly feels her face heat up and she takes a long sip of wine. Eliza laughs and leads her around the penthouse, showing her the bedroom, the very fancy home entertainment facilities, the bathroom with a bidet, and the outdoor balcony that they look out of through the glass doors, but don’t dare venture out onto in the cold snowy night. Eliza tells her about how she met Nicole and shares a desk clump with her in the bullpen, how Nicole is probably one of the hardest working officers in the precinct. Waverly feels her chest swell with some misplaced pride, and she can tell Eliza still doesn’t buy the whole ‘not dating’ thing. 

When they find Nicole again, she’s racing down a line of cups, chugging and flipping against a guy Eliza points out as Reggie, one of the pathologists from work. Apparently he’s a little creepy (as anyone is who works with dead bodies), but really too boring to ever be on their radar otherwise. Waverly watches with amusement as Nicole finishes her last cup, flips it in one shot, and throws her arms up in a victorious pose. X claps her on the back and cheers loudly. 

“Way to go, champ,” Waverly says once Nicole’s spotted her and made her way to her side. Nicole grins and shrugs. 

“No big deal,” she says, although the big smile on her face says otherwise. Waverly rolls her eyes and looks out at where people are dancing near the windows. Nicole catches this and takes her hand. “Come on, let’s go dance.”

“Oh, we don’t have to,” Waverly tries to protest. 

“Please, I want to see if all that cheerleading paid off,” Nicole teases her, and so Waverly smiles and downs the last sips of her wine, putting the glass down on an end table before she and Nicole push into the crowd of dancing bodies. 

It’s easy to dance with Nicole. She has enough rhythm to be considered a good dancer, and Waverly is able to take the lead. She puts Nicole’s hands on her hips and drapes her own arms over shoulders. She presses up against her until there isn’t enough room for a dime to slide between them, and they start moving to the music. Their foreheads press together and Nicole stares at the way Waverly moves her hips, her mouth a little agape. 

They dance for a while, until Nicole pulls away and takes Waverly’s hand, still shooting thrills through her every time that happens. She follows Nicole up the stairs and grins when Nicole pulls her into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. 

“You’re a good dancer,” Nicole says, and Waverly bites her lip at the way Nicole is looking at her, eyes dark and lidded. Waverly tucks her fingers into the belt loops on Nicole’s jeans and tugs her forward, their hips bumping together. 

“I had a good partner,” Waverly mumbles, craning her neck to try and kiss Nicole. Nicole hums and leans back so that Waverly’s lips just barely brush hers. Waverly pouts, tugging at Nicole’s belt loops again. 

“You’re so pretty,” Nicole breathes, and Waverly presses her body to Nicole’s until the redhead is backed up against the door. Waverly runs her hands down the front of Nicole’s shirt, undoing a few buttons. Nicole takes a sharp breath, slipping her hands up the back of Waverly’s shirt. 

“Kiss me,” Waverly breathes, and Nicole nods, leaning down and taking Waverly’s bottom lip between hers. Waverly whimpers into it, gripping Nicole’s half-open shirt and coaxing Nicole’s mouth open with her tongue. 

Nicole moans, and the vibrations of the sound send shivers right down Waverly’s spine, and the slow burning coals that had been hot in Waverly since she saw Nicole at the door sparks into a spitting fire. The kissing turns messy, gasping breaths mixing between them, their whines and moans filling the air over the faint sound of the thumping music downstairs. Nicole bends down a little, breaking their kiss for a moment, sliding her hands down the back of Waverly’s thighs and lifting. Waverly gasps into Nicole’s mouth, locking her legs around Nicole’s waist.

“Show off,” Waverly says with a smile, biting Nicole’s bottom lip and pulling at it. Nicole chuckles, a little breathless. 

“Told you I could lift more,” Nicole mumbles against Waverly’s lips. 

“You’re annoying,” Waverly says. Nicole shrugs, putting Waverly down on the edge of the vanity and kissing her soundly, over and over until Waverly is breathless and her heart is pounding, a deep ache in her belly. Nicole is a good kisser, and it never fails to make Waverly want more. She’s passionate, but never kisses hard enough to bruise. Her tongue slips in and out of the kisses so subtly that sometimes Waverly doesn’t know it’s there until it’s gone. 

Waverly winds her fingers through Nicole’s hair, an obsession she didn’t know she had until she met Nicole. 

“What time is it?” Waverly asks as Nicole nips at the skin of her neck. 

“What?” Nicole looks up and frowns, her eyebrows tugging together in the most adorable way. 

“The time,” Waverly says, scratching at Nicole’s scalp, “is it near midnight?”

Nicole gapes at her and shrugs. “I can’t say I was keeping track. Why?”

“I want to stay for the countdown,” Waverly says, shifting forward until Nicole is pressed between her legs, putting her lips to the shell of Nicole’s ear and whispering, “but then I want you to take me home.” 

Nicole’s hands tighten their grip on Waverly’s hips. “You do?”

Waverly nods, biting Nicole’s ear lobe and sucking lightly. “So badly.” Nicole whines, high pitched and needy. Waverly moves her hands down Nicole’s back and sliding her phone of of her back pocket. She turns it on and pouts. “It’s barely eleven.” Nicole groans and drops her head to Waverly’s shoulder. 

“How much do you care about the countdown?” Nicole asks, nuzzling into Waverly’s neck. 

“I, um,” Waverly’s breath hitches when Nicole’s breath tickles at the fine hairs near the back of her neck, “I promised Wynonna I’d see it in with her.” 

Nicole nods. “Okay,” she says, “so let’s go find her.” She steps back from Waverly and offers her a hand. Waverly takes it and hops off the vanity, pulling Nicole into a sweet kiss, long and lingering. 

“How are you so _good_?” Waverly asks, and Nicole blushes. 

“Come on, smooth talker,” she says, opening the bathroom door, “let’s find your sister.” 

And they do. Wynonna and John Henry are easy to find when you’re looking for the uninterrupted, because they’re at the heart of commotion, leading a rowdy game of slap cup. They join the game, of course, and Waverly gets to show off her skills. Being raised in a bar and having Wynonna Earp for a sister has to have its payoffs. 

“Is it weird that I’m somehow more attracted to you now?” Nicole says with a teasing smile. Waverly winks at her and tugs at the hem of her shirt. 

“Mission accomplished,” she says. 

“Five minutes to midnight!” Someone yells. Waverly’s heart picks up as she stares at Nicole. 

“Five minutes,” she repeats. Nicole nods, her tongue poking out to wet her bottom lip. 

The music is turned down and the familiar sounds of the CBC New Year’s programming comes on. Everyone starts milling about, trying to find their partners or friends, or the stranger they met who they’re going to kiss tonight. Waverly slides her hand down Nicole’s arm and locks their fingers together. 

“So, what’s your friend Dolls’s deal?” Wynonna says, draping her arm over Nicole’s shoulders and leaning heavily against her. 

“I thought you were dating the moustache?” Nicole asks.

Wynonna scoffs. “Please. Do you see a ring on this finger?” She waves her left hand in front of Nicole’s face and Nicole swats it away. 

“X is single, he’s clean, and the likelihood of him calling you the next day is fifty-fifty,” Nicole says. Wynonna cheers and disappears for a few minutes. She returns with Dolls in tow, and Waverly rolls her eyes. 

“One minute!” 

Waverly turns to Nicole and puts her hands on her shoulders. “Nicole?”

“Yeah?” Nicole loops her arms around Waverly’s waist. 

“I really like you,” Waverly says, and Nicole’s face lights up. 

“I really like you too,” she says, and she pulls Waverly closer. 

“This feels right, even though it’s barely been three dates,” Waverly says, and Nicole nods. 

“Yeah, it’s right,” Nicole says. 

“We’re a huge stereotype, aren’t we?” 

Nicole laughs and ducks her head, looking at Waverly through her eyelashes. “Maybe so,” she says, “but I don’t care. I’ll live a hundred stereotypes with you.” 

“Anyone ever tell you you’re a little forward?” Waverly says, and Nicole grins. 

“Some girl I went on a date with did,” Nicole says.

“She sounds smart.”

“The smartest. And she’s pretty hot, too.”

Waverly smacks Nicole’s shoulder. “Ass.” 

“Hey!” Nicole laughs, rolling out her shoulder. “You know I’m talking about you, weirdo.” Waverly hums and kisses the underside of Nicole’s jaw. 

“Ten! Nine!”

Waverly looks up and locks eyes with Nicole. 

“Eight! Seven!”

“One kiss, a whole year, right?” Nicole breathes. 

“Four!”

Waverly nods. 

“Three!”

“Awesome.”

“Two! One!”

They come together slowly, lips barely brushing before Nicole pulls her a little closer, gently taking Waverly’s lips in hers. The cheers around them are background to how loud Waverly’s heart is pounding in her ears. Nicole’s lips, still impossibly soft and the perfect balance of gentle and firm, and the way Nicole holds Waverly like she’s never going to let go…it sets off every nerf in Waverly’s body and she feels like she’s floating. 

“Happy new year,” Nicole says as she changes the angle of the kiss. 

“Yeah,” Waverly sighs with a smile, and Nicole smiles too. The kiss turns into a mess, teeth bumping lips as they smile, giddy with excitement and the rush of emotions that they’re sharing. 

Wynonna taps Waverly’s shoulder. Waverly looks over her shoulder at her sister, only a little annoyed at being interrupted. 

“Hey, I’m going to uh, take these new year’s fireworks somewhere a little more private,” Wynonna says. 

“Didn’t need to know that,” Waverly says. 

“Anyways, I’ll see you later. And by later, hopefully I mean much later. Maybe tomorrow.” Wynonna winks and slaps Waverly’s ass, grabbing Dolls by the collar of his shirt and dragging him away. 

“I’m very disturbed,” Nicole says with a shudder. 

“Yeah,” Waverly says. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” 

Nicole smiles, and as they pass through the kitchen, she grabs a bottle of champagne off the counter. Waverly gives her a high-five as they wait for the elevator. 

When they pop the bottle in bed later, sheets draped around their waists as they sit with their legs tangled together, Waverly feels her heart flutter with that same feeling she felt on their first date, only five days ago. The one that starts in her toes and runs up her whole body, making her smile uncontrollably as Nicole tells another story about her best arrests. The one that makes her lean in as Nicole is halfway through her story, kissing her messily until they’re falling back again, the half-full bottle of champagne being dropped to the floor. 

The feeling that feels a little bit like home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! Maybe two. I don't know guys, we shall see. You're all fantastic and the support you've shown me means so much :) I hope you enjoyed this instalment!


	5. christmas is the time to say i love you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time-lapse montage. Nicole is gay and in love. Waverly is gay and in love. And it snows.

**_1 Year Later_ **

“So, Haught, are you nervous for tonight?” 

Nicole looks up from where she’s filling out her last arrest report of the night. Eliza is grinning her best shark-like-grin over their computer screens. 

“Nothing to be nervous about,” Nicole says with a shrug, “I know it’s going to go fine.” 

“What if it doesn’t, though,” Eliza teases her, “what if something goes terribly wrong?” 

Nicole finishes her paperwork and shuffles it until the pages all line up evenly. “Nothing is going to go wrong,” she says. The file goes into the outbox on her desk. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, though.” She grabs her coat off the back of her chair and pulls it on. It rumples the shoulders of her uniform and she shifts uncomfortably until the fabric is straightened out. 

“Drive safe, then,” Eliza says. “It’s one hell of a blizzard out there.” 

Nicole sighs. “It always is. Have a good night, Shapiro.” Nicole winds her way through the bullpen and down the precinct stairs. Her trusty Subaru is in its usual parking spot, and she rushes through the snow, head down and shoulders hunched against the wind. She curses under her breath as she fumbles with the keys, finally unlocking the doors and sliding inside. 

Her phone chimes with a text. 

**Waverly [5:33]:** _this is the world’s longest shift. coffee please? <3 love you_

Nicole grins and taps out a quick response. The detour through the Tim’s drive-thru makes her ten minutes behind schedule. She parks outside the mall and walks in through the main atrium doors, her sights set on the booth that her girlfriend is manning against the tide of stressed holiday shoppers. Coffee in hand, she gets in line, patting her pocket and sighing in relief when she feels the small lump. 

The line moves steadily, and Nicole can see Waverly wrapping in a fever. Every gift is wrapped with a smile, though, and every customer is asked about their holidays. It’s the most efficient and polite wrapping Nicole has ever seen. 

It finally comes time for Nicole to step up and she puts the coffee down on the table. 

“Hey there,” she says, and Waverly gives her a warm smile across the booth. “How’s business?”

“So much better now that my coffee is here,” Waverly teases. Nicole can’t wipe the smile off her face, and she knows she has some serious heart-eyes going on. 

“Long day?” 

Waverly nods, taking a long sip of the coffee. “The longest.” She peers around Nicole at the few people still in line and sighs. “I’m exhausted. I got so many paper cuts today.” She pouts, her bottom lip sticking out in that irresistible way of hers. 

“My poor baby,” Nicole says, and Waverly sticks her tongue out at her. “Hey, how about you finish these people up and save me for last. I’ll go grab a snack or something.”

“You don’t mind?” 

“I’m driving you home, so I have to be here until close anyways,” Nicole says, and she leans across the booth to leave a quick kiss on the apple of Waverly’s cheek. “I’ll get you a cinnamon bun.” 

“I love you,” Waverly says in a very serious tone. 

Nicole smiles. “Love you too. I’ll be back soon.” 

Nicole wanders through the mall, watching as frantic shoppers pass her by, arms laden with bags. She buys Waverly a cinnamon bun and herself a smoothie. It passes enough time for Waverly to be almost done with the final customer by the time Nicole returns. 

“Happy Holidays!” Waverly says in farewell, and the customer mutters something back, obviously frazzled. Waverly sighs and flips the sign to closed. 

“Here you are,” Nicole says, presenting the cinnamon bun with a goofy flourish. 

Waverly rolls her eyes, but is smiling nonetheless. “Thanks, dork.” 

“And I’ve got something for you to wrap,” Nicole says. Waverly groans. 

“Can’t I just do it at your place tonight?” 

Nicole shakes her head, reaching into her pocket and putting the small box on the counter. Waverly’s eyes widen comically, and she nearly drops her cinnamon bun. 

“What the hell is that,” Waverly says, looking at Nicole. 

“Open it,” Nicole says, and Waverly does so with shaky hands. 

“I swear to god, Nicole,” she mumbles just loud enough for Nicole to hear. The box opens and Waverly gasps. “Oh, thank god.” 

Nicole tries to pretend like that doesn’t hurt a little bit, but then Waverly is apologizing profusely. 

“I mean, not that it would be _bad_ if you were proposing,” she says, holding up the silver key, “but it’s only been a year. I know lesbians move fast and all, but that would be crazy.” Nicole smiles, waiting the ramble out. “And, y’know, we don’t even live together yet, so how could we really know if we could co-habitate, right? Not to mention that I’ve _just_ started my PhD, and that’s going to take at least five years.” 

Nicole steps in and puts her hand over Waverly’s, closing her fingers around the key. “Chill out.” Waverly nods and takes a deep breath in through her nose. “I thought it would be obvious what I’m doing here, but apparently not. This is a key. To the apartment.” 

“I already have a key to your place,” Waverly says, and Nicole sighs. 

“You’re lucky you’re pretty,” she says, and Waverly steps on her toe. “Ow, okay, sorry. What I mean is…this is your key. To _our_ apartment. If you want that.”

Waverly looks up at there, mouth open a little in surprise. “ _Our_ apartment?” 

“Yeah,” Nicole says with a shrug, “I mean, it’s really just my same old shoebox. But ever since you started your degree you’ve been at my place almost five days a week anyways. And school’s only going to get busier for you. And if you don’t want to keep living in this apartment, we can start looking for our own place as soon as you want. I’ve got money saved up, and we can even move closer to campus if that’s what you want.” Waverly cuts her off with a finger to her lips. Nicole can feel her heart in her throat, pounding loudly. Her stomach flutters and flip flops. 

“I’d love to move in with you, Nicole,” Waverly says, and Nicole feels her entire body relax with relief. 

“Really?”

“Yes really,” Waverly says, leaning up on her toes and kissing Nicole soundly. Nicole smiles into it, giddy with the good news. 

“Best Christmas ever,” Nicole says, and Waverly rolls her eyes. 

“Come on, cheeseball,” she says, grabbing her coat and pulling it on, “take me to our home.” 

***

**_1 Year Later_ **

Waverly groans against the bright morning light. Nicole’s side of the bed is empty, as it usually is in the morning. The snow had been too dangerous to drive out to Purgatory in last night, and so begins Waverly’s first Christmas day away from her aunt’s house. She turns away from the sunny window and snuggles into Nicole’s pillow, breathing in her scent. 

“Morning, creeper,” Nicole says, and Waverly looks at the bedroom door. Nicole’s got a tray of food in her hands, and Waverly can smell the tofu bacon and pancakes. 

“Says the one watching me sleep,” Waverly counters. Nicole grins and walks over. The tray is placed on the bedside table and Nicole climbs on top of Waverly. 

“Is that any way to talk to your lovely girlfriend who just made you breakfast in bed?” She asks, pinning Waverly’s hands above her head. Waverly rolls her eyes. 

“You’re so annoying in the mornings.” 

“No, I’m just not a zombie,” Nicole says, leaning down to kiss the tip of Waverly’s nose. “I don’t need to drink a mountain of coffee before I’m fit to speak with other human beings.”

“Do you ever shut up?” Waverly laughs. Nicole laughs and kisses the corner of her mouth. 

“You’re mean today,” Nicole says, climbing off of the woman beneath her and grabbing the tray. “Sit up and drink your coffee before you make me regret being nice to you.” Waverly grumbles but obliges, sipping at her coffee in silence until she starts to feel relatively more human. 

“Thank you for being nice to me,” Waverly jokes. 

Nicole hums and passes Waverly a plate of breakfast. “I’m still not happy about this whole vegetarian thing, by the way,” she says, “because as much as you say it does, tofu bacon does _not_ taste like real bacon.”

“Merry Christmas to you too,” Waverly says, and Nicole grumbles, sticking a piece of fake bacon in Waverly’s mouth. 

“Yeah, merry Christmas,” Nicole says. They eat breakfast slowly, chatting about everything and nothing like mornings were meant for. Nicole pretends not to notice when Waverly slips Calamity Jane a piece of pancake, and Waverly makes fun of Nicole every time she drips maple syrup on her shirt. They finish eating and meander to the living room, Waverly pulling on a sweater and some underwear before she accidentally exposes herself to the neighbours. 

They’d moved into a bigger place in the summer, and Waverly loves the open concept kitchen and the industrial style of the apartment. It’s almost perfect, except for the heating issues and that Nicole is pretty sure they’re playing host to a family of mice. 

Waverly falls onto the couch and opens her arms up. Nicole climbs into them, lying across the couch with her back pressed to Waverly’s chest. Waverly wraps her legs around Nicole and squeezes tight. 

“So, what are we going to do first?” Nicole asks. “It’s our first Christmas alone.” 

Waverly hums, nuzzling into Nicole’s hair. “Gosh, well, I am just _out_ of ideas. I guess we could unwrap presents?” She slides her hands down the front of Nicole’s ratty t-shirt, under the collar and pressing her palms against Nicole’s breasts. She hears Nicole’s breath hitch and feels the older girl press up into her hands. 

“Could do,” Nicole says, a little breathless. Waverly grins and bites at the skin below Nicole’s ear, kissing and sucking until a small bruise blooms and Nicole is breathing hard. 

“Or I could unwrap you,” Waverly breathes against Nicole’s ear, nibbling on her earlobe. 

“That’s a terrible pick-up line,” Nicole says through a moan. Waverly rolls Nicole’s nipples between her fingers, and Nicole’s hips twitch. 

“I mean, it _seems_ to be working,” Waverly teases. She slides her hands out of Nicole’s shirt. “But, if you say so.” 

“What?” Nicole sits up and frowns. “I don’t say so. I said nothing.” She grabs Waverly’s legs and loosens their grip, turning to face her girlfriend. Waverly opens her legs a little wider, and she sees Nicole swallow. 

“Well if you’d rather unwrap presents, I get it,” Waverly says with a shrug, “presents are fun.” 

Nicole rolls her eyes and kneels in front of Waverly on the couch. Waverly feels immensely satisfied at how Nicole’s eyes can’t stay focused on her face, instead darting from her open legs to how her sweater exposes the top of her collar bone. 

“Scoot back,” Nicole orders, and Waverly complies, knowing where this is going and feeling _very_ merry about it. Nicole hooks her fingers into the top of Waverly’s underwear, pulling the down and tossing the aside somewhere. Waverly bites her lip and closes her eyes as Nicole traces lines of kisses up and down her legs, sucking on the soft skin of her inner thighs. 

“Baby,” Waverly whines, “it’s Christmas, stop teasing.” She feels Nicole smile against her leg, and then warm hands are pushing her legs even further apart. Opening her eyes, Waverly watches as Nicole takes her first few tastes slowly. 

So, the thing is, Nicole is _really_ good. Like, mind-blowingly, life-changingly, never-going-back-ingly, good. And Waverly has never been a boaster of extreme stamina when it comes to her vagina. Sure, she can hold out if she really has to, but getting eaten out by her really talented, really sexy girlfriend on their couch on Christmas Day? 

Waverly comes in five minutes, her hands in Nicole’s hair and her moans echoing in their apartment. 

“You taste so good,” Nicole says as she crawls up Waverly body to kiss her. Waverly whimpers as Nicole presses against her overly-sensitive clit with her pelvic bone. Nicole grins and does it purposefully. 

“Nicole,” Waverly warns, but she doesn’t really mean it. She’s pretty sure she could spend the whole day just having Nicole go down on her, and fuck her, and really just do whatever she wanted to her. 

That’s love, man. 

Nicole pushes Waverly’s sweater up until her torso is exposed.

“Cold?” Nicole laughs, rubbing the pad of her thumb on Waverly’s hard nipple. Waverly frowns and pinches Nicole’s side. 

“Either do something or let me open my presents,” Waverly scolds her. 

“You’re such a pillow princess,” Nicole teases her. 

Waverly shrugs. “I am what you made me.” 

The nice thing about having their own place is that when they both end up naked on the couch with Waverly riding Nicole’s fingers, no one can complain. They get to be as loud as they want, as dirty as they want. 

At least, that’s the theory. 

The reality? The reality is that Wynonna Earp has both a key, and the world’s worst timing. 

“Jesus weeps!” Wynonna yells as the door slams shut behind her. Waverly yelps and Nicole pulls her fingers out of her a little too hard. They grab a throw off the back of the couch and cover themselves. 

“What the hell, Wynonna!?” Nicole yells at her. 

“Me what the hell? You what the hell!” 

Waverly groans and drops her head to Nicole’s shoulder. 

“Dude, learn how to knock,” Nicole shoots at her over her shoulder. 

“There’s a perfectly good bedroom literally _ten feet to your left_ ,” Wynonna says. 

“This is our home, asshole, we can do it wherever we want to!”

“You know, I woke up super early just so I could see you guys on Christmas, and this is the welcome I get?” 

“And we are so happy to see you,” Waverly says before Nicole can escalate the situation, “but maybe you could just keep your eyes shut for a bit while we get dressed and clean up?” 

Wynonna slaps a hand over her eyes. “Go. Make yourselves decent. And to think, you’d be behaving in such a lewd fashion on this, the baby Jesus’ birthday.” 

“Like you’ve ever been to church,” Nicole grumbles as she picks up her discarded clothing. 

“Watch your mouth, Haught shit,” Wynonna snaps, “I have half a mind to beat you up for getting so inappropriate with my baby sister.” 

“We _live_ together,” Nicole says, waving her hands around incredulously, “I’m inappropriate with her every day!” 

Waverly grabs her arm and pulls her to the bedroom. “Not helping, dumbass.” Before she shuts the door, she turns and smiles at her sister. “Merry Christmas, Wynonna.” 

***

**_2 Years Later_ **

Waverly fiddles with the chain that’s hanging around her neck, the heavy diamond ring resting against her chest. She’s sat at the large table in Shorty’s for Christmas Dinner, Nicole beside her sipping her cider. 

“So I told him that he could either come with me, or that baby pacifier was staying where it was,” Wynonna finishes her story and everyone laughs. Waverly shovels more mashed potatoes into her mouth, her anxiety kicking up as Gus turns to her and Nicole. 

“How about you two lovebirds,” Gus says, “what’s new in the big city?” 

Waverly looks at Nicole, who looks at Waverly. They both hesitate. Then, at the same time, they open their mouths to speak. 

“Nothing new!”

“We’re getting married!” 

Waverly smacks Nicole’s arm and Nicole winces. “I thought we were waiting to tell people?” 

Nicole frowns. “Oh, is this because of the whole semester abroad thing?” 

Waverly smacks her arm again. “Nicole!”

“What?” She rubs her arm. “Okay, next time you don’t want me to talk about things, write them down or something, will you?” 

“You’re doing a semester abroad?” Wynonna asks.

“You’re getting married?” Shorty asks.

Waverly groans. “This is why I didn’t want to say anything.” 

“Why, because your family is interested in your life?”

Waverly winces at the bite in Nicole’s words, but she doesn’t back down. “Because it’s Christmas, and I don’t want to be interrogated all day.” 

Everyone else is sitting awkward silence at the table. Not even Wynonna has something snarky to say. 

“Must be such a burden for you, having family and friends who care about you and want to be a part of your life,” Nicole snaps, and she’s pushing her chair back and storming out the door. Waverly watches her go, hands curled into angry fists. 

“Baby girl,” Wynonna says, and Waverly shakes her head. 

“It’s fine,” Waverly says, “she just needs to cool off.” Waverly clears her throat and picks up the platter of turkey. “Seconds, anyone?”

Gus takes the platter and smacks the back of Waverly’s head. “Stop being a stubborn mule and go talk to your fiancé.” Waverly rubs the back of her head and stands, giving Gus a glare over her shoulder as she goes to grab her coat. She takes Nicole’s, too, and steps outside. 

Nicole is leaning up against the wall of the house, staring out at the snowy drive. Waverly hands her her coat and leans up beside her. 

“So that was fun,” Waverly tries with a cheeky smile. Nicole hums, not looking at her. “Okay, so the first six hours of being engaged aren’t going so great.” Waverly nudges her with her elbow. 

“Not so much,” Nicole says. 

“Sorry I wasn’t clear about the whole ‘what not to tell’, thing,” Waverly mumbles. 

Nicole sighs and slings her arm around Waverly’s shoulders, pulling her in close. “It’s okay,” she says, “I shouldn’t have blown it for you. It’s your stuff to tell, too.” Waverly snuggles in close, wrapping her arms around Nicole’s waist. “I guess I just…your family is kind of my family now, too. And they’re the only family we’ve got. I just wanted to tell them, since-“

“Since you can’t tell your parents,” Waverly fills in, and Nicole nods. Waverly moves to stand in front of Nicole. “Baby. I totally didn’t think of that. I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s not your fault,” Nicole says, fingering the end of Waverly’s braid. “You can’t be expected to know how I’m feeling if I don’t tell you.” 

Waverly leans up and kisses Nicole, soft and careful. “Still. It’s kind of an obvious thing.” Nicole shakes her head and kisses Waverly, her tongue slipping past her lips for a brief moment. 

“We have to be better at communicating if we’re going to get married,” Nicole says, “I don’t want to show up to the wrong lodge and end up marrying some twice-divorced German widower.” 

“That is so oddly specific,” Waverly laughs, pulling Nicole into another kiss. “I love you, weirdo.” 

“I love you too,” Nicole mumbles against Waverly’s lips. They kiss for a moment, lips moving together in a practiced and familiar way. They pull away and Waverly tucks into Nicole’s arms. “Should we go back in and face the horrors of family caring about us?”

“Oh, are we joking about this now?” Waverly says with a scolding look. 

Nicole laughs and kisses her forehead. “It’s my trauma, we’re joking about it now.” Nicole slides her hands into Waverly’s and pulls her to the door. 

“Wait a second,” Waverly says, and Nicole pauses with one hand on the doorknob. “Look. I love you and I’m so excited to be married to you, but…but are you happy? Without your family, I mean. Are you going to be okay marrying me without your family?” 

“Baby,” Nicole says, squeezing Waverly’s hand, “I haven’t spoken to them in like, almost ten years. And you are all the family I need.” There’s a loud crash from inside and a loud “Wynonna!” that sounds like it comes from Gus. “And them. That’s more than enough family for anyone.” Waverly laughs and rolls her eyes. “Come on, let’s go. I’m freezing my ass off here.”

“I thought you were Haught-blooded,” Waverly teases, and Nicole sticks her tongue out at her. 

Wynonna hands them both fresh glasses of eggnog when they come back inside. Gus serves up the Christmas cake and Shorty squeezes Nicole’s shoulder as he passes by with containers for the leftovers. 

“So, tell us how Nicole proposed!” Wynonna says, and Nicole laughs. 

“I didn’t, actually,” she says, looking at Waverly fondly. “Someone beat me to it.”

“I thought I was being romantic,” Waverly says, “wrapping it up and stuff.” 

“I was going to wait until New Year’s,” Nicole whines, “put it in some champagne or something.”

“Sounds like a really well-thought out plan.”

“I’m sorry, not all of us are _planners_.” 

“You suck, you really do.” 

Nicole laughs and kisses Waverly’s cheek. “But you love me.”

Waverly sighs. “But I love you.” 

Wynonna gags.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas Eve y'all! Here's my gift to you. I'm thinking of a short little epilogue after this, because the response to this story has been overwhelming and I'm so fucking honoured that you guys like this so much :) best of holiday wishes to all of you!


	6. merry christmas, baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly and Nicole are married and in love and everything is just...perfect.

**_4 Years Later_ **

Waverly hooks her arm through Nicole’s, looking around the elaborately decorated ballroom. 

“Holy shit,” Nicole breathes. Waverly stifles a laugh and pulls Nicole a little closer. “This is a serious step up from getting drunk with Wynonna.” 

“ _You’d_ be getting drunk with Wynonna,” Waverly points out. 

Nicole smiles and pulls out a chair for her wife, helping her into her seat. “I’m still not sure about this whole thing,” she says for the hundredth time that week. 

“Baby,” Waverly says as Nicole sits beside her, “this is the biggest opportunity of my career. I’m not missing out on it just because I’m seven months pregnant.” 

“Seven and a half,” Nicole corrects, and Waverly rolls her eyes. 

“Because that’s what’s important right now,” Waverly says. Nicole laughs and puts her hand on Waverly’s swollen belly. 

“Nugget high-five,” Nicole says. 

“Our child is not a nugget,” Waverly scolds for the thousandth time since she got pregnant. 

“Mostly-formed-foetus high-five,” Nicole says, and Waverly pushes her hand off her belly. 

Waverly sighs and rolls her ankles under the table. “I think heels were a bad idea.” She holds up her finger as Nicole opens her mouth to speak. “Do _not_ say ‘I told you so’, Nicole, or so help me _god_ you will be sleeping on the couch until this baby is outside of my body.” She huffs, looking around the room. “And when the hell are they serving dinner? I’m starving.” 

Nicole leans over and kisses Waverly’s cheek. “I’ll go investigate.” 

“That joke was old the first five times you used it, Detective.” 

“I love you too.” Nicole pushes her chair out and grabs her clutch, sweeping into the crowd in search of food for her wife. 

Waverly watches her go with a smile. Her sexy, super nice, very attractive detective wife who has been the epitome of patience throughout this whole pregnancy thing. Every craving, every foot rub or back rub, every four AM hormone surge, every time Waverly was kneeling over the toilet. 

The baby kicks, and Waverly frowns, putting her hand over the left side of her stomach. “Calm down, you little shit-ticket. Mom’s gonna be right back, okay?” Waverly check the time and looks up at the stage near the front of the room. She’s the third speaker tonight, delivering a talk on the gender politics of Doc Holliday and Big Nose Kate’s relationship in the context of a post-modern lens. 

“We’re going to kick ass tonight,” Waverly says to the baby, “we’re going to get up there and show all these people that pregnant women can do anything they want to.” 

Nicole comes back at that moment with a plate of assorted canapés. “So, since it’s Christmas, almost everything was peppermint flavoured, and I know you currently can’t stand peppermint, but I _think_ I found a few things that you’ll like.” 

“You’re perfect,” Waverly says, taking the plate and resting it on the bump of her belly. She picks out something that’s shaped like a seashell and takes a bite. Nicole snags a miniature spanakopita off the plate and pops it into her mouth. 

“That’s a fancy little centrepiece,” Nicole says, reaching out to touch the large poinsettia. 

Waverly picks up the place cards in front of them and snorts out a laugh, hiding it behind her hand as quickly as she can. Nicole looks at her and furrows her brow. 

“What?” She asks, and Waverly shakes her head, waving her hand. 

“Nothing, it’s nothing,” she says, “just uh, a typo on the cards.” 

Nicole reaches over and snatches the place cards from Waverly’s hand. She reads them and gasps. “Seriously?” She looks at Waverly an shakes her head. “Stop laughing! Did you tell them to write this?” 

“No, I swear,” Waverly says through her laughter, “I just filled out the invitation, I didn’t know they’d write…that.” 

Nicole sighs and hangs her head. “Dr. and Mrs. Waverly Earp.” 

Waverly bursts into laughter again. “I’m sorry, but-but this is amazing. I’m keeping these forever. We’re signing every Christmas card with this from now on. And birthday cards. Anything we ever send out.” 

“You’re enjoying this too much,” Nicole complains, and Waverly awkward shuffles her chair closer. She lifts Nicole’s chin with one finger and places a chaste kiss on her lips. 

“I love you,” Waverly says, and Nicole smiles. 

“I love you too,” Nicole says. 

***

**_1 Year Later_ **

Nicole tugs a hat over her daughter’s little head, and she places a kiss on her forehead. 

“Lookin’ good, beautiful,” Nicole says with a wink and a big smile. Her daughter smiles and makes a very adorable gurgling noise. 

“Hey, are you ready to go?” Waverly comes around the corner and Nicole looks over at her. And her jaw drops open. 

Waverly’s got her abdomen exposed in a crop top, her high-waisted skirt exposing leg. Like, strong, muscular, flexible leg. 

“Holy shit,” Nicole breathes. 

“Nicole Haught, do not drop that baby,” Waverly warns, fixing her earring. Nicole adjusts her hold on Wren and picks her jaw up off the floor. 

“You look…” She trailed off, unable to find the right words. 

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Waverly says, looking down at herself. 

“No!” Nicole exclaims, walking over to her and shifting Wren into one arm, looping the other around Waverly’s waist. “You look beautiful. More than beautiful, actually. I just don’t know what words to use.” She leans in and kisses Waverly, brief but sound. “I love you so much, and you’re just…so sexy.” 

Waverly blushes and strokes Nicole’s cheek. “Yeah?” 

Nicole nods. “I know you haven’t been feeling…super hot since you had Wren,” she says, “but baby…you’re always going to be sexy to me. Plus, I mean, you have like…eighteen abs still. If I wasn’t holding the proof right now, I wouldn’t know that you’d even had a baby.” Wren grabs at Waverly’s long hair and Waverly gently untangles her fingers. 

“I don’t have eighteen abs,” Waverly says, taking their daughter from Nicole and bouncing her in her arms. “Mommy can’t count, can she? No she can’t!” Wren giggles and squeals in delight as Waverly rubs their noses together. 

Nicole feels the warmth in her chest swell at the sight, and she gives both her girls a kiss on the head. “I love you,” she says into Waverly’s skin. Wren grabs at her arm. “I love you too, nugget.” 

“It’s not cuter now that she’s an actual baby,” Waverly scolds Nicole. Nicole laughs and kisses Waverly again, their lips fitting together with ease and happy familiarity. Waverly leans into it andNicole feels her chest move in a deep sigh. 

“Come on, baby,” Nicole says when they part, “let’s get to Gus’ place and hopefully sneak off to make out in your childhood bedroom.” 

Waverly snorts and hands Wren off to Nicole to get her coat on. “We’re an old married couple now, Nicole,” she says, “we have a child. We can’t just dump her into Wynonna’s arms and sneak off to get it on for the first time in like, the whole eleven months she’s been here.” 

***

“Merry Christmas!” Waverly says, handing Wren off to Wynonna and grabbing Nicole’s hand. “We’ll be right back, I promise.” 

“Your moms are horn-dogs, Wren,” Wynonna says, laughing as they fly by her up the stairs. 

Waverly pushes Nicole up against the door as soon as it’s closed. Nicole moans and tugs until Waverly’s shirt is discarded, and Waverly undoes her pants. 

“You’re so fucking hot,” Waverly breathes against Nicole’s lips, and Nicole whimpers. They kiss furiously, its sliding together and teeth knocking together in their haste. “Why have we been waiting this long to do this again?” 

Nicole shrugs and lifts Waverly up, carrying her to the bed and gently placing her on her back. She crawls over her and presses down, their bodies rolling together as Nicole leaves hard kisses on the column of Waverly’s neck. 

“I love you so much,” Nicole mumbles into Waverly’s skin, biting down where her neck meets her shoulder. Waverly tightens her hands in Nicole’s hair. “You’re so beautiful, and you’re never going to stop being beautiful to me.” Waverly feels a tear start to form at the corner of her eye, the contrast of Nicole’s sharp kisses and her soft words pulling at Waverly’s heartstrings. 

“Even if I’ve got stretch marks and mom-hips?” Waverly asks, quiet and careful. 

Nicole looks up from where’s she’s leaving a small mark along Waverly’s collar bone and she tilts her head in that adorable, inquisitive way of hers. “Hey,” she says, cupping Waverly’s jaw in her hand and stroking her cheek with her thumb, “first of all, you don’t have mom-hips. You’ve got super sexy hot girl hips.” Waverly laughs, and Nicole wipes away the stray tear that falls down her cheek. “But, even if you had mom-hips and…and your whole body was _covered_ in stretch marks, I’d love you even more.” 

“Yeah?”

Nicole nods and nudges their noses together. “Yeah, baby. You…you had our _baby_. Our daughter. How could that do anything but make me love you even more?” 

“I just,” Waverly sniffles and Nicole rolls off of her, lying beside her and resting their foreheads together, “I don’t feel super…sexy, anymore. Maybe it’s the whole shoving-a-human-out-my-vagina thing, I don’t know.” Nicole frowns and keeps stroking Waverly’s cheek. “Or the whole nine months of sharing my body and being blown up like a balloon.” Waverly sighs and pulls Nicole closer by her waist until they’re pressed together. “I’m scared you won’t or don’t find me sexy anymore.” 

Nicole shakes her head slowly and smiles. “Waverly, I’ve seen you after a bad burrito bowl. I’ve lived through the Stomach Flu of 2015.” Waverly laughs through her sniffles, and Nicole kisses the tip of her nose. “If sharing a toilet bowl while we both empty our stomachs for three days hasn’t turned me off of you, nothing will.” 

Waverly laughs a little, leaning up to give Nicole a soft kiss. “You mean it?” 

“I mean it,” Nicole says, kissing Waverly once, twice, three times. “Baby, you get sexier every time I see you.” 

“Hyperbole,” Waverly calls her out, and Nicole shakes her head. 

“Just saying how it is,” Nicole says, and Waverly smiles. 

“You’re a bit much sometimes,” she sighs, “but I love you.” 

“And I you,” Nicole says. She trails her fingers along the lines of Waverly’s ribs and abdomen, smirking when she sees the muscles jump under her touch. “I love you and your body, Waverly Earp.” 

“Haught,” Waverly corrects. 

“Yeah you are,” Nicole says, leaning down and kissing Waverly’s sternum. 

“It’s Earp-Haught, ass,” Waverly says, threading her fingers through Nicole’s hair and pushing her head down. Nicole smiles into the warm skin beneath her and pulls at Waverly’s skirt until it’s below her knees. 

“Marrying you is the best thing I will have ever done,” Nicole says against the skin of Waverly’s thigh. 

“We have a daughter,” Waverly says. Nicole pauses and pulls her eyebrows together. 

“Fine,” she says, “it’s tied with having a child. But we couldn’t have done the whole baby thing without the marriage thing.” 

“So could have,” Waverly argues. 

“Oh my god,” Nicole groans, dropping her head, “are we going to argue this, or can I go down on my wife in peace?” 

Waverly feels a jolt between her legs at Nicole’s blunt wording, and she nods. Nicole smiles and hooks her fingers into the top of Waverly’s underwear. 

“Good.” 

***

Wynonna gives them knowing looks when they come back downstairs half an hour later, and Gus clicks her tongue at them. Nicole just smiles and pulls Waverly closer on the couch, their daughter snuggled into Waverly’s arms, and everything feels right. 

Waverly feels that same old, familiar feeling she gets when she’s with Nicole. That she’s always gotten, really. It’s that feeling that feels ineffably like home. And she leans into her wife’s arms and eyes the blue scarf hanging by the door. 

“You okay?” Nicole asks, kissing the top of Waverly’s head. 

Waverly nods and leans up for a soft kiss, their lips barely brushing together. “I’m perfect.” 

“Merry Christmas, baby,” Nicole says with a smile. Waverly kisses her dimples one by one and rubs their noses together. 

“Merry Christmas, Nicole.”

***

_fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a wild ride this has been for me, my friends. Your support has meant more than you can know, and I'm so happy you've all come along for the ride. And with this epilogue, I conclude my cheesy contribution to a Wayhaught holiday season. Every comment, every kudos, every view, I cherish them all. And hopefully I can see you somewhere down the line for more of this goodness. Come yell at me on tumblr under the same username, I enjoy fangirling about our favourite gays and just generally shooting the breeze. 
> 
> And so I bid you all adieu, and a very happy new year in the coming days. Thank you all, and I send only the best vibes to you and all your future endeavours :)


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